The Choice in His Hands
by Ensign Klutz
Summary: <html><head></head>5 years have passed since his first journey to the human world and now Kaldur can visit the surface if his King accompany's him. However, one incident leaves Aquaman questioning if it is safe for his son. This leaves Kaldur vulnerable to the Ocean Master</html>
1. Chapter 1

**The Choice in His Hands**

**Chapter 1: The Domino Effect**

**Chinese Fairy:** Yea, I'm back with more love for Kaldur. I still think he is under loved, so here is something else for him. It is another prequel before he becomes Aqualad, so magical B.S from me!

**Disclaimer:** Seriously, I only put this up because I don't want some O.C.D crazy person come and whine about the missing disclaimer. All the rights belong to Warner Bros., D.C Comics, and Cartoon Network… if you are still reading this I think you need your head checked out… And if I need to, I do not own the small sliver of plot from the Little Mermaid… I don't really think there is a whole lot, so this is just in case.

**Warnings: **Nothing much in the entire story, just a couple fight scenes, a tiny blood, and nothing else… If something pops out, then I'll let you know!

**Chinese Fairy:** Okay, get to the story, come on, it's more interesting than my endless babbling!

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**The Choice in His Hands **

**Chapter 1: The Domino Effect**

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Atlantis was the only known underwater civilization known to the human race; this was only thanks to King Orin, or Aquaman, who joined the Justice League in the fight against evil. Even though he joined the group of heroes, he still did not allow any of his allies come to see his world. Not because he was concerned for their well being underwater or for any similar reason to this, but because King Orin did not want outsiders entering his utopia.

King Orin was very protective of Atlantis and never wanted any human to know its location. This was forfeited when Batman was able to pinpoint his home's location in outer space from the Watchtower's supercomputer.

Aquaman settled for this, just as long as it was kept private between the League members. Superman swore to keep it a secret and the subject was forgotten; at least, that is what he told the Justice League. All three identities of the individual: Arthur Curry, Aquaman, and King Orin always had it in the back of their minds the uneasy nightmare of one day the surface world finding out the location of Atlantis.

This thought has plagued him for the several years he fought along side the League and it has only grew over time ever since Kaldur'ahm, his adoptive son, had begun to show an interest in the Human world.

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Four long years have past since the incident of the adventurous Kaldur'ahm and now the young Atlantean was now an energetic child of the age of thirteen.

Kaldur had long since grown into his long limbs and now he has become strong due to his less than frequent magical studies with his Queen Mera and physical training with his King Orin. Over the past four cycles of the Earth revolving around the sun, the young boy has also joined his King and father in sporadic trips to the surface world.

With the agreement of Kaldur asking for permission, they both had swam all across the seven seas visiting different bays, ports, harbors, and cities. This day was no different.

"Annex Orin!" called out Kaldur as he swam up to his King who was conversing with Prince Orm, the second in line for the throne. He placed his enclosed hand up to his forehead with this thumb touching his head in the respectful greeting.

Aquaman nodded to his son with a smile on his lips, "Good day, Kaldur'ahm. What brings you to the training hall so early in the morning?" asked Orin. His son nodded and quickly replied, "I was wondering my liege, you spoke yesterday of visiting the Santa Cruz Boardwalk in California and I was wondering… If I may be so bold as to…" Kaldur blushed at his own fumbling words and tried to ask his father the question he held.

Prince Orm chuckled and patted his brother on the shoulder, "I think I know where this is going; I shall take my leave and see what Vulko is doing right now." The youngest of the three bowed to the retreating form of his Prince, and Orm has swum away towards the Atlantis Science Center.

King Orin turned back to his son and spoke, "Now, what were you asking, Kaldur'ahm?"

The said young boy blushed in response and continued his train of thought, "I-I was wondering if I could go with you…" he glanced up to his king, patiently waiting for a response.

His father smiled warmly and replied, "Of course you can, vuerd'ah." Orin noticed his son's face brightening as he used the endearing term for "my treasure" and son. "As long as you ask and have permission from the Queen, you may accompany me. I shall be waiting for you by the teleportation hall." Kaldur'ahm was beaming up to his King and placed his hand once again on his forehead.

"Efcarestousei, Annex Orin!" he thanked his king and swam as fast as he could towards the Conservatory of Sorcery, where the Queen Mera was teaching.

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Kaldur'ahm shot through the water faster than any dolphin as he raced away from the house of sorcery and rushed as quickly as possible to the teleportation hall where his King was waiting.

He reached his destination in record timing and once his form came to a halt before Aquaman, Kaldur saw his father's amused expression. "I take it Mera has given you permission?" asked the Ruler of the Seas. The younger Atlantean beamed and replied happily, "She said as long as I make it back in time for dinner, it is fine with her!"

Aquaman chuckled and moved closer to the portal, which lead to the surface world. "I have already set the destination for off the coast of Santa Cruz. Let us go," he ushered the thirteen-year-old youth in through the barrier that transitioned from seawater to a bubble of air.

Bright lights flickered all around them and just as it was reaching blinding proportions, the two found themselves once again submerged in water and far away from Atlantis. Kaldur moved around via a few kicks of his webbed feet and _felt_ the difference between the Atlantic water and the Pacific Ocean.

Aquaman appeared by his side, "Welcome to Santa Cruz, Kaldur'ahm."

His son was smiling and beaming with warmth that could challenge the sun and Orin was pleased with him to have made that special smile grace Kaldur's lips.

Their forms floated in the slightly murky water for a few minutes so their forms could adjust to the different temperature and "tastes" in the water. "Can we go see the boardwalk now, my King?" questioned the energetic boy. Aquaman nodded and they began swimming towards the shore that held a hot spot for people in the summer.

It was late spring now and the beach was flowing with people coming to try and bask in the sunrays. Kaldur's head breached the surface of the water first and he let out a bubbly laughter as he saw all the people running, playing, or enjoying the beach. "Annex, this beach is so full of life!" proclaimed the child as his father emerged from the sea as well.

The King of Atlantis chuckled at his exuberant son and replied, "Yes, this is a good day to see the humans at their best." They free stroked to the shore and once their feet touched the coarse sand, they began wading out of the water.

Some people looked on at them as the superhero and his son walked out of the ocean while the others went on with their leisurely day. Kaldur'ahm was still smiling as he jogged onto the place where the sand transitioned from wet to dry. "What shall we do here, my liege?" he questioned; Aquaman followed Kaldur at a slower pace, "I brought you here to spend the day with you, nothing more."

Kaldur turned to his father with wide eyes and a shocked expression adorning his face. Orin let out a strong chuckle and stated, "My son, you resemble a guppy at the moment." The younger of the two blushed a deep red and bowed his form from his hips junction.

"Est teru Efcarestousei, Annex Orin." He kept his form bowed in a respectful position while he said, _"I am thankful, King Orin,"_ until his father lifted his head up to meet his gaze. "Rise Kaldur'ahm, you do not need to thank me. This is a day that I wished to spend with you. Now come, this is your chance to try that human food I spoke of."

Kaldur's happy expression returned as he now ran towards the scent of human food with the ecstatic thoughts of finally trying what his king called, "cotton candy".

They reached the cart that served the sweet treat and the thirteen-year-old looked ready to burst from his body with all his compressed energy.

"Touve a donomihea hure'ua, Kaldur'ahm." Said the King of the Oceans as he gently urged his son to step forward and pick a bag filled with the candy that had cotton appearance. While the young boy looked at all the vibrant colors before him, the man tending to the cart had a "what the heck?" look on his face due to the strange language Aquaman spoke in, but he did not say anything. Finally, the youth pointed to a bag full pf blue cotton candy.

"I… would like… this one, please." Kaldur spoke this request in English and felt his cheeks grow warm at his attempt to speak a human language. Orin smiled at his son; _"He has truly been paying attention to his English lessons… I believe his is an attentive student, so why does Mera say he seems distracted in his magical studies?" _his thoughts were living proof that the son could never go wrong in his father's eyes.

The man running the cotton candy stand plucked the bag off the rack and offered it to the boy with a smile, "Here you go kid, enjoy." Kaldur hesitantly took the bag in his arms and nodded, "Efcarestousei!" he thanked the man in Atlantean and bounced off back to the beach.

The confused look was back and it grew exponentially as Aquaman paid for the sugary treat. "Here," said the King as he placed a coin in the man's and walked away before the man could say anything.

The human looked down at his hands and felt his jaw drop. A gold coin half the size of his palm was resting in his grasp. "You forgot you change, sir…" he said in a daze. Aquaman did not hear him and continued walking after his happy child.

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The two Atlanteans strolled along the beach with Orin keeping an amused eye on his son while Kaldur clutched the bag in his hold like fragile glass. "Vuerd'ah, you know that you are supposed to eat it, right?" asked the Ruler of the underwater world.

Kaldur'ahm glanced down at his prize and then up to Orin's amused face. "I-I want to… but if feels so fluffy; I do not think we are supposed to eat it. Are you sure Kerru Flash was right about this candy?" he asked the question and Orin noticed that Atlantean honorific for the Flash. _"He is so respectful to everyone…"_ the term "kerru" was to identify a man similar to "Mr.", but with even more respect. The child was looking up to his king and it took all of Aquaman's strength to fight back a laugh. _"He truly is innocent regarding so many traits and foods."_

He turned to his son's determined face and replied, "Kaldur'ahm, Flash was telling the truth about the candy; you are supposed to eat it. If you do not eat it, what would you do with it?" Kaldur thought about this observation for a moment before opening the bag and timidly picking at the large ball of fluff.

A small piece of cotton candy was held between his fingers and he brought it up to his lips before nibbling on the candy. "Ah!" he gasped loudly and his expression now mirrored full-blown shock. His wide blue-green eyes turned to his kind as he reported quickly, "M-My King! It vanished! I had it in my mouth and it suddenly disappeared!"

King Orin could not help himself; his son was too adorable. He began laughing with his head thrown back and Kaldur stared at his king in awe. _"I do not believe I ever saw Annex Orin look so young… His laughter makes the long lines of fatigue vanish from his face." _A deep blush was settling on the youth's face when his King's laughter subsided.

"Kaldur'ahm, it is supposed to do that…" the smile that radiated off Aquaman vanished any embarrassment his son felt and Kaldur offered his King some of the cotton candy. Orin picked off a small piece and ate the blue tuff; this really was a good idea.

Until a scream in the distance caught them both off guard, they glanced to one another and one nod of the head from Aquaman sent them both sprinting off into the distance towards the shore.

The cotton candy was left abandoned on the sand dune.

There was a large gap between the people and the water as many beachgoers shied away from the water as a fin emerged from the surf. Thankfully, everyone knew Aquaman was a member of the League, so they hurriedly parted a path for him. One glance at the dorsal fin informed the Ruler of the Oceans that a great white shark found it way close to the land. This would have been an easy task to ten to, but a stray swimmer was bobbing in and out of the surface of the water.

Aquaman turned to face Kaldur and reverted back to their native language, "Est omnamiea l'ansi komiahu deipokei wa! Tul kethunamon ii algathue wei levimom!"

_"I will drive the shark away! You save the swimmer!"_ he ordered and Kaldur quickly did as he was told. They both charged towards the water with loud gasps coming from behind them. Kaldur jumped in first and dove underwater for maximum speed. The panicked swimmer was still floundering and his motions were slowing down. The thirteen-year-old pushed his body to move faster.

The Tamer of the Oceans cut through the water in order to reach the shark before is sensed the human and Kaldur. King Orin stopped about five feet away from the beast and gently shut his eyes, allowing his telepathic powers to reach out to the beast known to scientists as Carcharodon carcharias.

"_Be calm my friend, I am not here to harm you."_ He spoke to the shark mentally; immediately, the fifteen-foot shark calmed and it reverted from his predator mode. Aquaman's tense gazed relaxed as the shark started a leisurely swimming pattern in font of him.

Kaldur'ahm was not that lucky calming the crazed swimmer; he easily reached the man, but when he tried to offer the man help, he was violently pushed away.

"S-Stay away!" cried the man as he spat out some sea water that filled in his mouth.

The Atlantean sighed and tried again to help the man in his mid-thirties. "Sir, I am not here to harm you! I want to help!" he tired to reason; his form floated closer to the drowning man and he looped his around the man's upper torso. Once he encircled him, the man resumed freaking out.

With the combination of heightened sense, too many unknown anomalies, the threat of the shark in the water, and this unfamiliar _thing_ restraining him, the swimmer struggled and flailed his arms wildly. Kaldur tried to hold onto the man and off him floating support, but the body mass difference was too great. Even with his stronger body, the Atlantean was at a slight disadvantage.

One swipe of the man's arm struck Kaldur right in the face and he temporarily released his hold on the human. He moaned and his fingers felt around his nose; once he pulled back his digits, those blue-green eyes saw blood coating his fingers.

Kaldur'ahm's eyes widened considerably, "Nemon keriau…" he whispered. _"No please…"_

It is said that a shark can taste blood in the water about a mile away from its position, so it was no surprise when the great white shark's eyes dilated from tasting Kaldur's blood in the water. It whisked passed King Orin and was now on a collision course with Kaldur and the panicked human.

"NEMON!" yelled Aquaman as he chased after the creature in hopes to stop it before it reached his son.

Kaldur'ahm sunk down into the water just in time to see the shark charging towards him as fast as it could. _"The Great White Shark is a hunter who attacks its prey at the surface and tries to get it from underneath!"_ even in this time of pure fear, Kaldur still tried to use reasoning in this dire moment.

With all the strength he could muster, the young Atlantean broke through the surface again and forcibly grabbed hold of the man and began swimming towards the shore. He glanced back at the dorsal pointing out from the water and shouted, "Take a deep breath!" ordered the Atlantean to the man; he didn't know if the human heard him, but this was the time to dive and use his speed to save them both.

Kaldur'ahm dove under water and his body took off like a shot. The man was still in his arms, but he did not have the luxury of worrying about him at the moment; if the man wanted to live to see another day, he would have to endure this minute.

The shore finally was close enough for him to started running on the same coarse sand and the thirteen-year-old struggled to wade through the waist high water and carry the limp man. For some odd reason, the shark did not relent as it neared the shore. Even with the threat of being beached, it still charged after Kaldur.

In a split-second glance towards the beach, he saw that there was a group of what he guessed were healers; the white word on their jackets said, "paramedics" on the beach and shouted, "Catch!" he threw the man with the last of his strength towards the group of people and turned to stop the shark from advancing.

"Tul neimkalifrun waklu te haulatom!" Kaldur cried towards the large shark. _"You cannot go any further!" _He respected all sea creatures, just like his father and he did not want to hurt the shark, but he could not allow any harm to befall the humans.

Aquaman saw that his son was not going to move out of the way of the incoming great white and he felt all the blood in his body freeze. "Nemon…" he breathed and his body stopped swimming.

In a strong motion, Orin violently raised his arms above his head and shouted in his native tongue, "Est oumkel ii wei hanpo'alu dep nominaum aqua!" he concentrated his will into the water and the liquid listened to his call, _"I call upon the water to listen to me!"_

The water levels began to rise from its calm state and swept over to its master's call. He pushed his hand towards the shark and like a seamless shadow, the water turned into a wave and moved to capture the shark into a large sphere shape.

Kaldur stared in awe as a large portion of water came together and acted as a prison for the shark that was only ten feet away from his standing position. He glanced around the sphere and saw his king. "Annex Orin!" he cried and tried to move closer to his father.

"Tul un egnouim ma!" ordered Aquaman in a tone that Kaldur has never heard before. His King's tone froze his son in his place as those words struck him in the heart. _"Stay where you are!"_ the statement was just used to keep him out of danger, but the young Atlantean inferred from his father's tone that King Orin was angry with him.

His blue-green eyes moved to gaze upon the imprisoned shark and saw that his King was now motioning with his arms for the water to pull back from Kaldur and the shore. Once a large distance was placed between the thirteen-year-old and the beast, Aquaman and the shark vanished under the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

Kaldur'ahm remained rooted in his placed with the water still waist deep and the cold, empty feeling swallowing his entire body whole.

A few brave people rushed over to the youth and gently pulled him to shore. A few spoke to Kaldur, but he paid them no mind. _"Annex Orin, did I displease you? Did my actions shame you?"_ This was the usual pattern that his mind followed and no matter the problem, whether it was big or small, his thought process always placed him in the wrong whenever the topic concerned his King.

One of the human healers, or a "paramedics" gently wiped the partially dried blood on his face and winced; "Sorry kid, but the guy got you pretty good." Stated the man and Kaldur winced as he wiped the rest of the red liquid from his nose.

"Thank you," the Atlantean murmured; he was still shaken from his King's tone, but the paramedic thought it was from the shark incident.

Five minutes later, Aquaman emerged from the water and made his way over to his son. "Let us return now." He said curtly and turned to leave again. Kaldur nodded and drifted from the people and ran to catch up to King Orin.

Kaldur took one more glance at the beach boardwalk and faintly thought to himself, _"I do not believe I will ever see this place again…"_ their bodies broke through the surface and they began the long trek back towards Atlantis.

The young Atlantean never felt such an awkward setting before between his King and himself…

Aquaman silently called upon a pod of dolphins to come and speed their journey along and neither spoke for the rest of the swim home.

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Queen Mera knew something was wrong the moment her husband and her son returned from their trip to the Pacific Ocean. As they passed through the grand doorway that lead into the main hall, Kaldur swam straight to the corridor where his room was and her love, Orin, slowly floated to her side. She rose from her seat and he pulled her into his arms.

"I can sense you are troubled, love… What happened?" she asked quietly; Orin exhaled a breath and answered, "I worry about Kaldur'ahm's safety… We arrived at that boardwalk and a shark appeared… H-He protected the humans even at the risk of his own life…"

Mera pulled away from her husband and gazed into his blue eyes for and endless minute. When she spoke again, her voice held a sad tone, "Orin… He is following your footsteps; I would not be surprised if he asked to join you in your surface world duty's." her love pulled completely away from her and turned his back towards her.

"I will not accept that!" he roared; the five handmaidens for their Queen jumped at his sudden outburst and Mera noticed this, "Leave us." She commanded and they quickly fled the room.

Aquaman still did not face his wife as he continued in a more restrained voice, "Kaldur… He is too innocent for that world… I do not hate the humans as I used to, I may even care for them now, but… I will never allow him to be part of that insane world. Atlantis is peaceful; Atlantis is safe for him and safe is where he will stay."

His tone was final and Mera knew that the conversation was over. She swam closer to her husband and hugged him against her lithe form. "Very well, my love…"

Neither noticed the eavesdropper as Kaldur'ahm allowed his tears to mingle with the water and he pushed himself away from his hiding place at the doorway and shot off out of a window into Poseidonis, the capital and his home.

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Kaldur already had a destination in his mind as he rushed towards the Conservatory of Sorcery. As usual, Tula and Garth were training on the roof of the grand building and they paused their spells when he touched down next to his friends.

"Kaldur!" cried Tula with a smile and she swept him into a hug. He barely responded to her embrace and Garth saw this as a bad sign. "What is it, brother?" spoke the other male Atlantean.

Kaldur remained silent as his tears kept integrating into the seawater around him until a sob broke from his form. Garth moved closer and pulled both Tula and his brother into a hug. As the oldest, it was his job to make sure both his friends were okay, _"It seems like I have failed you, Kaldur…" _he thought as the red headed Atlantean cooed and murmured soft comforting words to her friend as the thirteen-year-old continued to cry in their arms.

Neither has ever seen Kaldur cry before, so this was very unnerving.

It took their youngest friend several minutes to compose himself and when he did, Kaldur whispered his words; his voice was hoarse from the crying, "A-Annex Orin is upset with me and… and he may n-never allow me to return to the surface…"

Tula held him closer and glanced up to Garth, this was something they both knew one day it would happen… Garth pulled Kaldur out of her grasp and made his best friend gaze into his eyes, "Munweii tom," he began; Kaldur looked to meet Garth's eyes since he said his nickname, "Curious One" and the raven haired youth continued, "King Orin cares for you like his own son and he does not want you harmed. He is thinking about your safety; he's not trying to be cruel…"

Kaldur'ahm tore himself from Garth's warm hold and replied angrily, "I want to see the human world, but now I never will ever see it again!" he turned to flee from the rooftop of the magical studies, but Tula stopped him.

"Kaldur wait," she pleaded; he paused at her tone and tentatively turned to face her. The red haired Atlantean moved closer to him and offered him a small vile; it fit into his palm easily and held a cloudy white liquid. He glanced at her, confused and she smiled up at him.

"It is a summoning spell… Queen Mera taught us a new spell and this is the only successful batch. All you need to do break it open and both Garth and I will appear wherever you are… I can tell you need some time alone and we will respect that for now. Just remember that we are here…" her smile encouraged him and Kaldur smiled softly back.

"Efcarestousei Tula," he glanced to Garth, who was also smiling, "Garth… I-I shall see you both later."

With that, Kaldur'ahm vanished off into the distance towards a coral forest.

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Kaldur continued swimming until he reached a small opening of the forest and settled on the pure white sand of the ocean floor.

"My King is angered and does not trust me… He will never allow me to see the human world again and it fills my every dream. I wanted to be with him while he was Aquaman, but now… That dream is gone…" he spoke to himself; the ambiance of bubbles from random fish, the fluttering of tail fins, and the bumping of shell creatures against the coral reef.

He sighed and closed his eyes… "I would give anything to see the human world just once more…" he murmured and pulled his knees close to his chest.

"Poor child who dreams of another world, but is imprisoned in this seaplane…" spoke a deep male voice as an Atlantean floated into the clearing, which held the saddened Kaldur.

The said thirteen-year-old gasped and whipped around to see the owner of the voice. The Atlantean had a strong built body and was adorned in a black one-piece suit similar to his King's attire. The said person was also garbed in flowing gray robes, which fluttered with a slight current. Finally was a helmet that obscured his face; it was a dark blue, almost black color, in a cone shaped shell helmet.

"Wh… Who are you…?" asked Kaldur as he was readying his body to flee at a moment's notice.

The said Atlantean floated the equivalence of two feet closer to the youth and replied, "I am called Ocean Master and I heard you speaking of your plight. I would like to help you…"

Kaldur seemed hesitant and the elder Atlantean sensed it; he placed his hands up in a calming motion and continued, "Do not fear me child, I only wish to talk now. I am a powerful sorcerer who helps those who needs it the most… Your calls have reached my ears and I want to make your wish come true…"

The thirteen-year-old boy contemplated swimming away from this stranger, but a faint voice in the back of his head begged him to stay. _"Just listen to him! If he can grant you one more chance to see the surface world, then you should take it!"_ urged the voice.

Kaldur remained silent for another moment before nodding, Please, Kerru… T-Tell me more," he asked with a respectful nod.

Behind the mask, a devilish smirk adorned the Ocean Master's lips, _"The plan has already been set into motion…"_

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**Chinese Fairy: **Well, what do you all think? This is an in-between-er for my next story and now… I may start the other this coming Friday, but I'm not sure. Don't quote me on that!

Anywho, like I said, the prequel of Aqualad that I cooked up in my kooky mind! This may only turn out to be three chapters, maybe four… Who knows?

**NOTE:** Kaldur may seems a little out of character, but I had to make him a little more emotional and immature since he is three years younger than his age in Young Justice and he is Robin's current age. He is immature, but still respectful! He will change as the story progresses! ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT HE IS INNOCENT AND CHILD-LIKE IN THE WAYS OF THE HUMANS!

Please excuse any errors, PLEASE REVIEW! Other than that, see you all later!

Take care!

P.S: MORE LOVE FOR KALDUR!


	2. Chapter 2

**The Choice in His Hands**

**Chapter 2: On one's own Two Feet**

**Chinese Fairy: **I'm glad everyone likes this story. It was just something that I thought up after "A World in Small Hands"…

**Disclaimer:** Seriously, I only put this up because I don't want some O.C.D crazy person to come and whine about the missing disclaimer. All the rights belong to Warner Bros., D.C Comics, and Cartoon Network… if you are still reading this I think you need your head checked out. **NOTE:** This chapter will have traits to the Disney version of "The Little Mermaid"! I DO NOT OWN IT! I did altered it, but you can see the underlining connections. Debating how much of the storyline I include is when this part of the disclaimer may disappear.

Thanks for that!

**Warnings: **Nothing much in the entire story, a few fight scenes, a tiny blood, and nothing else… If something pops out, then I'll let you know!

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**The Choice in His Hands**

**Chapter 2: On one's own Two Feet**

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Kaldur remained seated in the sand as the Ocean Master fluttering closer to him and he also sat down a few feet from the youth.

"I have dedicated years of my life to studying magic, weaponry, and all matter of beings in the sea world. On a few occasions, I even have ventured up to the surface world and have observed the humans." Kaldur gasped at this and quickly stated, "To do so on your own is dangerous, Kerru! You should not go by yourself."

Ocean Master chuckled and replied, "That may be true, but when one has a deep desire, one may ignore the logical course and do anything to reach their goal."

The younger Atlantean glanced up to the eyes of the helmet and nodded, "That is true as well… I speak from first hand knowledge." He murmured; the older of the two continued on with his train of thought before he was interrupted by the child's concern for his well being.

"Along my years of research of Atlantean magic and incantations, I discovered a book in the Conservatory of Sorcery which holds the spell to making you human."

This statement confused Kaldur and he answered back tentatively, "I do not wish to be human for a short period of time; I just want to see it once more before my King banishes all remaining hopes I have to see the human world." Ocean Master nodded and clarified, "The spell will turn you human; no Atlantean strength or abilities. This will hide you from our King's eyes and you could traverse the surface world free of his hold on you." The tone that Ocean Master was using seemed to cause shivers to roll down Kaldur's spine, but the grand thought of being completely independent was eclipsing his common sense.

"_My King has never allowed me to venture up to the surface world by myself for fear of my safety… but if I can prove to him I am capable of being independent, then maybe he will reconsider his decision of barring me from the other world…"_ this was another topic needing more time to consider, but the elder Atlantean continued.

"It will only be for a short amount of time, but you will be granted your wish of seeing the human world once more… is that not a fair price for a worth while goal?"

Kaldur'ahm glanced at the man and asked, "Would you need the book to cast the spell?"

He had the feeling that Ocean Master was smiling behind that helmet. "Yes," answered back the elder. "I would need the book, but I have been barred from ever entering the Conservatory of Sorcery."

Kaldur now was on alert and he lifted from his place and swam backwards until his form bumped into a protruding boulder. "Then that means you have studied the Dark Arts of the Past!" he exclaimed.

Ocean Master remained calm and in his kneeling position. He was not bothered by Kaldur's proclamation. "I have studied the Dar Arts of the Past, yes, but only to answer several questions that have plagued our people since Atlantis had been created." He opened his hand and a small golden glowing sphere appeared hovering over his palm.

Fascinated by the glowing orb, the thirteen-year-old moved cautiously closer to Ocean Master who began talking, "This is how our ancestors kept warm in the deep abyss we find ourselves living in… Now we have magic, but before, there was only the Dark Arts. Am I guilty for wanting to know _everything_ about my people? Yes. Do I regret learning about my heritage as every Atlantean should? No."

Kaldur finally resumed his position before moving back; he was kneeling in his old spot in the sand and his form was leaning over to get a closer look at the gold ball. He smiled at the warmth it radiated and asked, "This is how our people survived the coldness of the abyss?" his curiosity was now overriding the danger plaguing his mind.

Ocean Master nodded, "Correct… This little sphere would warm an entire house of a month and all it takes is a small portion of its creator's energy to be born…" the young Atlantean nodded and smiled, "May I?" he asked politely.

The older of the two nodded as well and offered the youth the small golden bubble.

A small part of Kaldur thought the moment he were to hold the orb, it would steal all his energy and his form would die, but once he felt the sphere fluttering warmth and comfort to him, a brighter smile appeared on his lips. "This is incredible… If this method works well, why did we not keep it in our Atlantean studies?" he questioned as he rolled the orb in his smaller hands.

Ocean Master stared down at the ball in Kaldur's hands and replied softly, "Because the King Orin thought it may turn into a weapon so he banished this spell with the unanimous vote of the council." Those blue-green eyes darted down to the comforting sphere and sighed, "It is hard to think this little warm sphere as weapon…" he commented.

The older of the two stood from his place and offered a jar to the child. "You may keep it; just keep it hidden away from others…" Kaldur hesitantly took the offered object and he gently turned his hand enough so the golden ball would float into the jar. Ocean Master placed a cover on top and sealed it shut.

"Thank you…" said Kaldur in an awkward tone; he was not so sure where their main topic of conversation left their meeting. The older of the two sensed this and chuckled.

"Do not fear, young one… I only wanted to inform you about the choice that lies before you. If you want to accept my offer, then free this little sphere and mine," he paused and waved his hand to rest in front of the thirteen-year-olds face. In his palm was another small sphere that instead of glowing a golden yellow, this one radiated a bright gray.

"Mine will follow your light and bring me to you so we can talk more; I may be the only other Atlantean that understands your feelings." Ocean Master puffed his sphere away with another wave of his hand.

Kaldur'ahm nodded and offered a small smile, "Efcarestousei, Ocean Master." And he swam away from the clearing of the coral forest.

Once he child was far away from his position, Ocean Master chuckled and smirked under his helmet's protection. "This plan may progress faster than I expected…" and his form vanished in an upward poof of the sand around him.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

The thirteen-year-old child quickly made his way back to his bedroom and as swiftly as possible, he slipped in through his open window.

Kaldur exhaled a repressed sigh as he mentally congratulated himself for making it back to his room without anyone stopping him. _"Kerru Ocean Master may have been trying to do good, but I am not so sure it is safe for me to keep this Dark Arts spell… Can I really call it part of the Dark Arts since it does not mean any harm?"_

This was slightly unsettling; he was torn between what he was taught by his King and Queen and what Ocean Master presented to him just a short while ago. His eyes danced over all the objects in his room and felt a nostalgic smile creep up onto his lips. This managed to derail his negative line of thoughts. Littering every free space in his room was several items that came from the human world and gifts from his friend and family in Atlantis.

Right beside his "baseball" that he received from Superman through his King, was a mosaic picture of Orin, Mera, and himself, they were all smiling and it looked like a family photo… His smile grew as he gazed upon all of the things in his room when a knock on his door cut him off.

Kaldur dashed over to his desk where the small golden orb was perched and gently placed it under his pillow.

"C-Come in!" he called as he turned to see his mother figure, Queen Mera floating into his room. It was not as large as his King's private quarters, but it was still big enough to house all of his trinkets. Her eyes danced over his possession until those light blue orbs rested upon her son's form sitting by his pillow.

"Quivem Mera…" he whispered and bowed his head from his place on the bed. Mera moved to sit beside him on the bed and she spoke in a soft tone that she saved only for her son.

"How does your nose fair, vuerd'ah?" she questioned and his fingers unconsciously placed themselves on his nose. "It is fine," he murmured softly; his eyes glazed down to a book that came from the surface world. It was titled, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".

She nodded and patiently waited for him to ask the question she saw dancing in his eyes. "Is he still upset with me?" Mera placed her index finger under his chin and lifted his gaze to face her. "He is not mad at you, Kaldur'ahm… you should know this. He was very worried about you and he is just shaken by the encounter. We all know that the respectful great white shark does not always obey a command or request." His Queen pulled him close and into a warm embrace.

"Kaldur, please give Orin some time to think… Sooner than you know, you both will return to your visits to the surface. Give him time, vuerd'ah…" she promised and placed a gently kiss to his forehead.

Her son remained wrapped in her safe arms for a few more moments before gently pulling away. "Very well, Quivem Mera." He offered her a smile, which seemed a little strained, but Mera knew not the hope for too much; she smiled in return and lifted off his bed, "Come, it is time to eat." Mera coaxed and Kaldur nodded.

He swam off towards the dining hall assuming she was close behind, but as she reached the doorway, Queen Mera paused and she swiftly turned to the now empty room.

"_I could have sworn I felt something different in my child's room…"_ she thought, but the Queen of the Oceans soon followed her child to the dining hall where King Orin and Prince Orm were waiting for them.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Dinner was as expected uneasy with a cloud of awkwardness hovering over the company. Kaldur kept his head down and his eyes found the plate of assorted foods more interesting than anything else. King Orin continued to glance at his son, but never spoke the words that wanted to be said.

Prince Orm glanced at both his brother and his surrogate nephew before he turned to face his Queen. "So… My Queen, I heard that the spells that Tula and Garth have been learning finally proved fruitful today." He stated; he looked quickly to his brother and hoped this little bit of conversation would disperse the cloud.

Queen Mera nodded and replied, "Yes, they both finally completed a summoning spell. Tula took it to show to Kaldur'ahm. Did you see it, vuerd'ah?" her calling on him caused Kaldur to jump out of his reverie.

"Y-Yes, Quivem!" he replied quickly and dug through his small pockets for the petit vile. She smiled at him and continued, "You should try it out to prove one hundred percent that it is successful." He nodded and put it away, quietly resuming his meal. Orm and Mera both glanced at one another and inwardly sighed; they are not willing to talk.

"My Queen," spoke Kaldur; his soft tone made her look upon his face in concern, "Yes, vuerd'ah?" she prompted. Her child sat in his seat for a few moments before continuing. "I am satisfied; may I please be excused?" His mother's gaze flickered down to his hardly touched food, but she found herself relenting.

"Very well, my child. You may be excused." Kaldur lifted from his place at the table and bowed his head, "Efcarestousei, Quivem." With his words hanging in the air, he fluttered off towards the gardens instead of his room.

When Kaldur left the hall, Orin sighed heavily, his half eaten meal forgotten in front of him. Mera felt that her love was once again troubled and spoke, "My dear… perhaps you should talk to him. He needs your guidance and he does think the world of you." Her words gave him little comfort and Aquaman rose from his seat and kicked his form towards a large balcony that over looked the gardens that held his son.

"I have so many things to tell him… but where would I start?" he asked. Orm gazed at the back of his brother's form and spoke up, "Why not start with you are not upset with him for trying to save the humans at the beach?"

Orin turned back to face his brother and answered, "He should already know that I do not bear him any ill will regarding that subject." His tone was set firm in his belief and Mera could not help with laugh lightly as she flittered to husband's side. "My love, you should already know that Kaldur over analyzes anything connected to you. He may feel that he has let you down. That is a good place to start."

The King of the Seven Seas contemplated what his family spoke of and nodded, "You are right as always, my dear." Mera now took the next step.

"You should also talk to him about the surface world… Do you intend to permanently remove him from one of his worlds?" she asked in a soft voice; he stared down into those light blue eyes that reminded him of his son.

"I… I'm not sure of that… I want him to be happy, but I also want him safe. He is only at the young age of thirteen." He stated this as if to defend himself from his anything his wife may bring up. She noticed this and nodded understanding, "Orin… I know you want him happy and safe, but that is why you can _join_ him in his journeys. A student does not stop trying after one failed experiment. He will keep at his work until he comes to a conclusion." Her words in turn gave birth to a smile on his lips.

"You're right. Of course you are… I shall speak to him." Aquaman turned to the garden and saw that his son was no longer swimming in sight. Prince Orm stood from his place at the table and fluttered close to his brother's side. "May be he went to his room…?" he offered and Aquaman swam towards the private rooms of the royal family.

As Queen Mera gazed off after her husband, Prince Orm spoke softly, "My Queen… Do you not find it amusing?" he spoke; she turned to face him and urged him on, "What is amusing?"

He turned to face her and continued, "When it comes to yours or Kaldur'ahm's safety, my brother loses that calm composure he is well known for…" her smile grew and Mera replied soothingly, "That is very true."

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Kaldur did not find any peace in the lush gardens of the royal family; usually the lolling of the vibrant foliage would offer him some answer to any question he held, but today proved differently. Soon, he found himself back in his room holding the same jar that kept his warm golden sphere confined.

"Leoumun… That is true, you _are _very warm…" Kaldur smiled down at the only comfort he allowed himself at the time. _"Who knew that out of all the several trips I have made to the surface one would condemn me a punishment of never seeing it again."_ He flopped back onto his bed with a dull "thud" and cradled the jar to rest over his heart.

The small orb fluttered in time with his heartbeat and this lulled the young one into lightly shutting his eyes close. A gentle knocking at his door caused Kaldur to panic for a moment; he quickly tried to stuff the jar underneath his pillow again, but the door was opening before he could completely hide the forbidden magic.

In an impulsive move, the Atlantean quickly laid his form onto the bed and turned his back at the door; this gave him the chance to hide the jar with his body and imply to the person that he did not want to talk.

"Kaldur'ahm…"

The said youth stopped moving and breathing as his King's soft voice entered the atmosphere of the room. He tentatively turned his head to face Aquaman who was standing near the door. Kaldur's gaze broke contact in the same second he met his King's blue eyes.

Orin swam closer and spoke in the same tone he used moments before, "May I sit next to you, vuerd'ah?" the thirteen-year-old silently nodded and his father closed the rest of the space between them and sat at the foot of Kaldur's bed.

Neither Atlantean spoke as they allowed a knife piercing silence envelope the room; Kaldur shifted his position to hide his jar from his King's eyes and Orin stared down at his hands. The youngest was about to make up an excuse and claim he was tired from visiting the surface world when his father spoke.

"Kaldur'ahm, I… I am sorry if I… gave you the impression that I was upset with you this afternoon." The apology sounded foreign to the youth's ears as he quickly straightened his form to fully face his king. "P-Please, King Orin! Do not apologize for my careless behavior! If I were stronger and quicker to come up with a better decision, I would not have burdened you so! Keriau Annex Orin, Est tulnarimea ake meidna!" his statements hung in the air as Orin took in his son's last words.

"_Please King Orin, Forgive me!"_

Aquaman stared down at his son downcast's gaze and his eyes softened. _"My dear Mera, you are right… He puts too much blame upon himself…"_ His hands gently grabbed hold of his son and drew Kaldur close into a hug.

Kaldur'ahm remained frozen in place as his father's arms offered comforting warmth that the small golden orb could not compare to. His eyes gently slid shut, but he still remained attentive to Aquaman's words, "You should not feel sorry about anything, Kaldur… I was so worried about you and your safety… I can still remember how much I distrusted the Human world several years ago and when that man struck you… I grew angry; when that shark charge after you and you stood your ground against him…" he paused; his voice faded and Kaldur felt his King try and rid himself the lump in his throat.

"I was so scared… I thought I was going to lose you in the very moment. I was ready to blame the humans, but once I calmed, I began reasoning with myself that it was no one's fault. I cannot blame the humans; it was hardly their fault. I cannot blame that shark since he was driven by his instincts. Lastly, I could never truly blame you because you were doing what was right…" He felt the tension flee from his son's form and Orin found himself smiling.

"Annex," spoke Kaldur; he pulled back slowly and gazed up into his king's eyes with uncertainty pooling in his orbs. "I… I don't know what to say," he glanced down to his enclosed his hands and continued in a small voice, "I do thank you for your gracious apology, but I do not think you needed to apologize. I thought my actions in the surface world were what upset you, but I was wrong… My king, it is not that I want to forget today, but…" he paused and glanced upwards to those patient eyes.

"I… I would still like to see the human world… if I-we, could not always remember today as a bad day, I still want to see the surface world. If that is still allowed by you…" He stared at his father's face, which transitioned from expressionless, to pensive, to understanding.

"We shall see," most would consider this an evasive answer, but Kaldur knew that his King meant it. A genuine smile graced his lips as Kaldur hugged Orin close again. "Efcarestousei, Annex."

They were both engrossed in their reconciliation that neither noticed the small jar partially hidden by the pillow was slowly nudging out of its hiding place until it fell off the bed and landed with a dull thud on the smooth stone floor.

Kaldur jumped in shock; his quick mind already knew what had fallen from his bed and quickly moved to pick it up. "What is it, Kaldur'ahm?" spoke his king.

The thirteen-year-old paled; he yanked the durable jar into his hands and turned his back to his father. "I-It's nothing, my King!" he piped in a nervous tone. This caught Aquaman's attention and he asked in a nonchalant tone, "May I see it?"

The youth shook his head and chuckled nervously, "A-Annex, i-it is nothing. Just a little trinket!" he tried to put it in his desk drawer, but it was cluttered by his other prized possessions. Orin grinned and replied, "I would still like to see what my son is interested."

They have had similar little games like this before. When Kaldur had returned from the human world with new trinkets, his King would play naïve, a side no one but Mera and Kaldur ever saw, and they would rough house until Orin finally had the object in his hands and tease his son about it.

Kaldur knew that this is how their little banters started and he turned to face his father, "It's nothing, sir! Really!" his voice was taking on a panicked tone; Aquaman noticed this. His smile was fading and he now had a more somber expression.

"Kaldur'ahm, is something wrong? Let me see what is in your hands." King's Orin's voice was slowly taking on an authoritarian quality. He now moved closer to younger Atlantean and held out his hand for the object.

So many emotions flickered through those green-blue eyes and all of them made concern rise in Orin's chest. Kaldur contemplated what would happen if he shot out through the window and never returned, but deep down the youth knew that was not going to happen. Defeat was clear in his motions as he gave the jar to his king.

All sound faded from Aquaman's world as he stared down at the small orb of the lost arts history titled, "Dark Arts". His wide blue eyes were glued to the little orb that's light flickered, almost in fear in his hands. Slowly, too slow for Kaldur's liking, Orin's eyes moved to rest on his son's horrified face, "Kaldur'ahm… What in the name of Poseidon is this?"

Kaldur did not know how to explain his strange meeting with Ocean Master, so his mouth continued opening and closing with no sound coming from him. Aquaman took a small move forward and repeated his question in a louder tone. "Answer me, Kaldur'ahm!"

Magically on cue, Queen Mera swam into the room and quickly spoke, "My dear, I felt a strange magic source coming from the room, what is going-" she cut herself off as she saw her son's scared face and the jar in her husband's hands. "Astonau nemon…" she breathed in a whisper.

"God no…"

She made her way to Orin's side and stared at the golden sphere. "My love, is that…?" he was nodding before her question was fully stated and then fear flooded her eyes. "Vuerd'ah… What on earth are you doing with this?" she asked while turning to look at the child.

"I… I…" he could barely manage a response; fear was gripping his heart in a vice hold and it felt like he couldn't breathe. "It was…" no matter how _hard_ he tried to tell them about Ocean Master, the words would not be spoken.

"Answer you mother now!" ordered Aquaman and worry filled Mera's face as she saw her child jump at the King of the Ocean's voice. Kaldur felt tears brimming in his eyes and before he could actually speak, he panicked.

Kaldur moved forward and pulled the bottle out of his king's grasp and shot out through the portal that acted as his window.

"Kaldur!" cried Mera as he swam off like a wraith. Orin felt her desperate grip on his upper arm and he turned to her, "My love, I will go bring him back, we'll find out what happened!" Orin promised and she nodded frantically in return.

As Aquaman took off after Kaldur, she shouted to him, "Please hurry my love! He does not know what that orb is doing to him!"

King Orin, the Ruler of the Seven Seas, spurred himself on; the frantic need to save his some from the lost arts made sure he cut through the water faster than any animal in the sea.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Kaldur pushed his tired body on as he reached the borders of Atlantis; he was already drained from his quick escape from the one place he called home and now the tears were falling. "Wymain'hau, what have I done?" he shrieked to himself; a small part of him scolded him for using an Atlantean curse word used only in a loose translation for the English term of "damn it". There was a small school of fish that were swimming by him, but at his outburst they frantically scattered away from him.

His tears melded with the saltwater around him and sobs shook his body. "Petarr…" he whimpered. _"Father!"_ sobbed his mind as a flash of the broken image of Orin and Mera looking on at him in his room plagued his form.

He finally felt the weight of the jar in his hands and anger engulfed him. "It's all because of this!" he yelled; Kaldur flung the detestable object away from him and it shattered against a coral bush that was to his right side.

In an instant, it exploded similar to what his king described as a "flash bomb" used by humans. He shielded his eyes and turned away. When the blinding light receded back to the small portable size he was used to holding, another sphere appeared by his golden ball. It was Ocean Master's bright gray orb.

"Child, what is wrong?" asked a voice from behind Kaldur; he turned to see Ocean Master floating behind him and his wide eyes shut into slits. "I LOST MY HOME BECAUSE YOU GAVE ME THAT ORB!" shouted Kaldur as he pointed to the small spheres in front of him.

Ocean Master nodded at the child's plight and replied softly, "I thought you liked my gift," the younger of the two bit back, "I did until it cost me my family!"

The larger of the two moved closer and placed a hand on Kaldur's shoulder. "If you have truly lost them, then all you have is that life on the surface." The thirteen-year-olds eyes widened in shock and he couldn't respond.

_"I wasn't even thinking about the human world, but he's right… I could be killed for having this little ball… The Lost Arts were forgotten for a reason… but, can I really just leave Atlantis…"_ he glanced up to the other Atlantean in his area and added silently, _"I have no choice."_

"I… need to go back…" Kaldur whispered; he turned to face Ocean Master with tears still pooled in his large eyes as he added with determination, "I need to go back and get you that book."

Ocean Master smiled behind his mask.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Kaldur silently made his way through small alleys behind the buildings of Poseidonis. In one hand was clutched another jar that replaced the broken holder of his orb and in the other was a crumpled up piece of paper that was protected from the water by magic.

As he made continued on towards the Conservatory of Sorcery, he recalled exactly what his now only friend said.

"Listen Kaldur'ahm, this is important. The book is locked away in the top floor before the roof. On one of the podiums is the said book. Here is the name of the tome," Ocean Master offered Kaldur the small parchment of paper and another empty jar for the thirteen-year-old.

_"Make haste," he cautioned, "Your King is now looking for you and soon, Queen Mera will find you…"_

Kaldur'ahm shut his eyes to block out the pain in his chest since he betrayed all those he loved dearly. "I have no where else to go… Ocean Master may be my only chance at a future…" with the Conservatory in sight, he sped off and soon found himself safely passing through the front columns that barred anyone who was exiled from its teachings.

Kaldur was not barred; he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly made his way to the fifth-story where the tome was resting, waiting for him to come and take it.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Aquaman was nearing his breaking point. He could not find Kaldur and no one had seen him leave the palace… A heavy sigh exhaled from his form and Orin panned around to see all of Poseidonis in a small hope in seeing his son, "Vuerd'ah… please come back to me!" he whispered under his breath and he swam off in another direction.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Kaldur glanced down at the paper in his balled up hands and saw the title, "Ways of the Past". It was known as a history book and no one ever thought that there was an incantation in it; it was filed under history for Poseidon's sake!

His eyes danced over all the spines of books in front of him. _"Nothing yet,"_ he commented to himself. The youth one was about to give up when he glanced down another hallway and down at the end- Kaldur gasped.

Perched on a podium under a ring of light was a book. _"Ocean Master said something about a podium…"_ he thought and he made his way towards the small sliver of chance. His eyes analyzed the area around the book in order to verify if there was no trap that a sorcerer could have placed.

Nothing happened.

The Atlantean raised a hand and slowly outstretched his open palm out and after a moment of no sirens going off, he sighed and Kaldur took hold of the book. Picking it up and still nothing happened, he turned to swim off once again back towards the outer limits of his home.

"Kaldur!" called a young female voice; he whipped around and saw his best friends swimming down the hall to him. "Stay back!" he ordered, but with panic lacing his voice, it didn't come out as strong as he would've liked.

In reaction to his heightened feelings, his orb violently tapped against the glass barrier that held it. He glanced down and noticed it was growing big again, just like it did when it shattered the last jar. It's rays of light busted free from the prison and it enveloped him in its warmth.

Tula and Garth vanished from his line of vision with shocked faces.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Blue-green eyes blinked opened in confusion as the Conservatory of Sorcery no longer surrounded his form and now Kaldur'ahm found himself in a cave that was almost as large as the blue whale's mouth.

His vision panned around to drink in his new setting and then he finally found the form of the Ocean Master hunched over a large cauldron embedded into the floor. Something was bubbling in the vessel that glowed an eerie blue, but he ushered his body forward.

"I, I have the book you wanted," he declare hesitantly; Ocean Master turned to him and smiled, "Well done child. I knew you could do it." He commended as he outstretched his hand for the said tome.

Kaldur glanced down at the seeming less harmless hand, "I would like you to answer a question, I have, Kerru." He said while holding the book close to his chest.

The older of the two nodded and returned to his brewing potion. "Ask my child," urged Ocean Master; his tone was so warm it almost reminded him of his King or Prince Orm… Shaking his head, Kaldur asked, "My sphere is growing stronger, I can feel it. It is starting to answer my will. When I wished to escape from my friend's sight, it listened to me and granted my wish. What is the extent of the orb's ability?"

Ocean Master turned to give the Atlantean in front of him all of his attention. "It feeds off you, but not in a bad way. It will only take a little of your energy and it could protect you and keep you warm. As I said, the only reason no one in Atlantis has one of these, is because our King does not deem them safe."

Those words partially eased his distressed mind and he gave the book to his elder.

Ocean Master nodded as he opened the tome and his eyes danced over the words appreciatively. "This is wonderful, this is exactly what I needed to ensure your transformation." Declared the man and Kaldur swam closer to the cauldron.

"What exactly do you need from it?" questioned the child.

The sorcerer edged around the inquisitive child's form and he floated close to the large stone shelves that lined an entire wall of the cave. Kaldur's eyes inspected the shelves and noticed that all matters of strange and unique objects littered the cluttered places and as his gaze moved upward, he noticed that they reached the ceiling.

Ocean Master pulled a few mysterious vials and pitchers corked with glass covers off their resting places and returned back to the side of the cauldron where Kaldur waiting patiently for him to answer his question.

"I needed confirmation on four more ingredients from its pages and the incantation." Replied the Atlantean and he tossed the seven-glassed items into the gaping mouth in front of him. They all exploded in small puffs of smoke ranging from all the colors of the rainbow.

"Are you ready, Kaldur'ahm?" questioned Ocean Master, Kaldur looked at the tattoos lining his arms and his red armored chest plate and his fitting pants that had his fins nestled on his calves. His eyes rested lastly on his webbed hands before he looked back up to the sorcerer.

"Yes, Kerru…" he breathed. Ocean Master lifted him up and placed him in a floating position above the open cauldron.

"There was one more reason I needed the book and it does pertain to this spell." Commented the adult male as he re-opened the book and scrolled down to the incantation. Confusion plagued Kaldur's eyes as he heard the rest of Ocean Master's statement.

"The reason I needed this book was because it holds the spell that will turn you human, yes, but at the same time it will take your powers from you and place it into the golden orb you have been carrying with you for a few hours you had it. That was enough for it to become comfortable in your energy and now I can used your slumbering Atlantean powers and finally overthrow your home."

Kaldur was frozen in shock as he stared in horror at the helmet that shielded his enemy's face.

"Thank you Kaldur'ahm, for giving me this chance to conquer your King and your Atlantis."

As Ocean Master started chanting the words of old, pain swallowed Kaldur's entire form and he screamed in agony as all his energy was sucked out of his being. Everything hurt and the pain was a white-hot essence that gave him no bearing of what was going on. He must have passed out momentarily, since when his eyes finally showed him the cave, his eyes were blurry.

Kaldur gasped and air bubbled out of his mouth. _"I can't see, the water is blurry!"_ he panicked; he screamed, as water was not breathed in through his gills, but his mouth; what scared him more was that the water did not exhale from his orifice.

"_I CAN'T BREATHE!"_ he cried out mentally and the blurred form to his left was moving like Ocean Master was laughing hysterically at his dying body. Weakly, his hand made it to his pants pocket where the small vile he was given by Tula was. His shaking hands found it and with all the strength he could muster and squished it within his grip.

The glass cracked and unleashed the cloudy white spell and a second later Tula and Garth appeared right beside him.

"What in the name of Poseidon… KALDUR?" shrieked Tula she moved to pull him close, but he shook his head and frantically pointed up. While his female friend remained confused, Garth glanced quickly around them and saw Ocean Master pointing a charged offensive spell towards them.

"TULA! GRAB AN ARM AND SWIM!" he ordered and his hands clamped down on Kaldur's right arms while Tula grabbed hold of her friend's left. They shot off away from Ocean Master through a vent that would soon lead them to the surface where Kaldur could now only survive in.

This was not how he thought his day would go…

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**Chinese Fairy: **Wow, that was a lot, but I am pretty happy about this chapter! This will end up being a three-shot with the next chapter as the last~! Most likely tomorrow I will begin the new story… I'm not sure, SO DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT!

I'm sorry if Kaldur seemed off again in this chapter, but he is a younger teenager! Buwahaha! You cannot foul me~ I hope you all don't kick my butt! (Glances around madly)

Anywho, I hoped you enjoyed, please **review** and excuse any errors! Thank you and TAKE CARE!


	3. Chapter 3

**The Choice in His Hands**

**Chapter 3: A New Kaldur'ahm**

**Chinese Fairy: **I wanted this to be three shots, but now that I go over my plot/story line, it seems that it may be four-shots. I keep changing it; FORGET IT, IT WILL END WHEN IT ENDS! XD

**Disclaimer:** Seriously, I only put this up because I don't want some O.C.D crazy person to come and whine about the missing disclaimer. All the rights belong to Warner Bros., D.C Comics, and Cartoon Network… if you are still reading this I think you need your head checked out. **NOTE: **I think that this may be the end of the Little Mermaid warning… Just in case, I do not own Disney's version of "The Little Mermaid". I do NOT own "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen! He is mentioned and so is his story, but I don't own either of them ANY OF THEM! JUST BEING CAUTIOUS!

Thanks for that!

**Warnings: **Nothing much in the entire story, a few fight scenes, a tiny blood, and nothing else… If something pops out, then I'll let you know!

**Chinese Fairy:** Woot! We are going to see our little naïve Kaldur'ahm grow up! I hope all of you like this chapter and its guest star!

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**The Choice in His Hands**

**Chapter 3: A New Kaldur'ahm**

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When Tula and Garth pulled Kaldur out of the underwater cave, they allowed their limbs to cut through the seemingly heavy water as they dragged their friend into the higher layers of the ocean levels. "Where can we take him? There are no humans that we know who can help!" cried Tula as they continued swimming upwards.

Garth remained silent as he quickly glanced down to his friend who was passed out from the lack of oxygen. The oldest of the three paled and he pushed himself even more. "Tula! Forget about what we'll do then, we have to help Kaldur now!" he ordered and she fell silent.

There was no vast change of colors in the water as their bodies transferred from the Aphotic layer to the mesospheric level and thankfully, the two sorcerers broke through the surface of the water with an unconscious Kaldur still nestled in their arms. Their nervous eyes took in the large cave that seemed to go on and on in the darkness.

"Are we really going to stay in here?" whispered the red headed Atlantean as she lead her friend's to a ledge that was leveled with the water. Garth pushed himself out of the water and opened his arms for Tula to hand his brother over. She easily pushed Kaldur onto the dry land and Garth searched for a way to resuscitate the unconscious thirteen-year-old.

Swiftly, his hands began swirling in an infinity sign above Kaldur's chest and the raven-haired youth began softly chanting, "Ahuura Kalinsa thea aero wavuliia…" Tula was applauding her friend mentally as he pulled out of one of the advanced tomes the spell of summoning air into an enclosed space.

_"He is going to push out the water in Kaldur's chest and hopefully save him…"_ she clasped her hands together and began praying to her sea god, Poseidon. The moments ticked by until after what seemed like forever, Kaldur'ahm's body reacted to the spell. He heaved and spat out the water in his lungs and coughed violently as he tried to take in all the air he could.

Tula cried out a noise of happiness as she saw her friend right himself into a sitting position. Faintly, the coughs and hacking noises bounced off the cavern walls and chirping sounds of an unknown creature replied back.

Kaldur's green-blue eyes opened and closed slowly before he spoke hoarsely, "Tula…? Garth…?" he asked; from the water, Tula grabbed a hold of one of his hands and clasped it close. "We are here, Kaldur. We're here for you!" she urged passionately. The said youth nodded heavily and asked, "Where… where are we?"

Garth now sighed silently and answered back, "We are in a cave somewhere on the coast. Do you want to tell us what happened? What that guy was doing to you when you summoned us?"

Silence swallowed their forms as Kaldur awkwardly shifted his gaze to the black water that surrounded his female friend. She waited with impatient eyes, but Tula said nothing. Garth was ready to scold his brother when Kaldur spoke so softly, that they had to strain to hear his words.

"It… It was my fault; everything that will happen now is my fault. I-I was so scared of losing the surface world, that I blindly helped a… a monster that threatens to destroy our home…" he stared into their shocked eyes and continued.

"When I left you both on the training roof, I swam into the coral forest and met another sorcerer named Ocean Master… H-He was sympathetic to my plight and offered to help me… if I helped him. H-He gave me something that was m-made from… The Dark Arts," Tula gasped loudly at this, but he forced himself to continue, _"they are my friends. They deserve to know of my mistakes…" _he swore silently.

"Annex Orin found it and I panicked… I left the palace and Ocean Master told me that this was my chance to save myself from death… W-We all know the penalty for breaking that scared law…" Garth nodded solemnly. "I stole a book from… the Conservatory and gave it to Ocean Master… He said that is how I would be allowed to visit the human world once more, but there was a catch," his voice took on an angered, bitter tone that told his friends of his pain. "He took my Atlantean abilities and now… He will use them to overthrow Atlantis and my Petarr…" a small tear fell from his eyes and rippled in the water.

No one said anything for the longest time until Garth pulled his arms back and punched Kaldur in the right cheek. Tula gasped and Kaldur did not move to strike back.

"Tul envoron!" shouted the older teen. _"You fool!"_ he barked; Kaldur did not reply and did not think his brother was in the wrong. Then strong arms took his form into a hug. Garth has pulled him into a warm hug that like his king's was warmer than the orb he once held. "Tul envoron…" repeated Garth as his tears were absorbed into Kaldur's red vest. Tula swiftly pulled herself out of the water and hugged her friend's close.

The area fell back into the ambiance of the chirping animals and the gently bouncing waves off of the rocks. Sniffling, Tula pulled back with a smile, "We now know what we are fighting to get back for you." She said.

Garth pulled away as well and nodded, "She is right, we will go back to Atlantis and tell the King and Queen what has happened. After that we will get back your Atlantean abilities and you will return with us!" Kaldur nodded numbly and whispered, "What if the King and Queen do not forgive me?"

It was Tula who replied firmly, "They will! I know they will! If they do not, which I don't believe, then you will still feel better than now since _you_ did not run away from your destiny!" he stared at her fiery light blue eyes before Kaldur nodded. "You're right, Tula. I now understand what is my path right now…"

He turned to face Garth, "You will have to be quick. Ocean Master said that once he had my powers, he would strike Atlantis. You must hurry!" he ordered.

Garth nodded and stood from his place. "We shall go find the King and he will know what to do then. For now, you stay put. I do not want you to put yourself in danger especially right now when you are helpless." The statement was not meant to hurt and Kaldur nodded mutually. "Right, I'll stay here."

The rave-haired youth offered a smile as he dove back into the water. Tula hugged Kaldur close once more and whispered in his ear, "We will all make this right; here," she pushed something into his now non-webbed hands and kissed him on the cheek. "In case you need to defend yourself from anything in this place." She added and she jumped back into the water with Garth bobbing on the surface waiting for her.

"Be careful, my friends… and thank you for not giving up on me." Stated Kaldur'ahm. They both smiled larger smiles up to him and Garth replied easily, "You would never give up on us, so we will not give up on you. Be safe as well, brother." And they dipped back into the darkness.

Kaldur opened his hand and found another vile in his grasp; this one was a hypnotizing green that swirled like a dream in a green hue. He now turned to face the vast nothingness of the cave before exhaling a repressed sigh. _"There has to be a way for me to help them…"_ no matter how bleak it was, there had to be a way for him to right his mistakes.

Sanding up from his place, Kaldur began walking deeper into the cave that offered him shelter and hopefully, something to help him conquer the water again.

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King Orin swam with heavy shoulders into the palace where he had bad news to tell his wife. When he entered the great hall, she immediately zeroed in on his form and quickly made it to her love's side. "Did you find him?" she asked; a tone of defeat in her voice since she asked the question with the answer clear in her husband's motions.

He shook his head and replied, "No, my dear… I could not find Kaldur. He was not anywhere I looked and no one has seen him." She sank to the floor with a heavy heart. "I fear for his safety… And fear for what that forbidden orb will do to him." She looked up to her husband's blue eyes, "Where did he learn how to make such an evil orb?" Mera did not really believe her child was capable of such an art, but she still felt the need to ask.

Orin replied coldly, "Kaldur did not learn it, he was given the sphere… Which means someone is trying to hurt my family." He had held the glowing sphere; he knew his son did not make it since a sorcerer can be identified by their energy in their spells. _"The energy in that dark spell felt so familiar… why can't I not place it?"_ his mind demanded, but of course, there was no answer.

He turned to stare out through the balcony's view over Poseidonis to where all his people lived and thrived. "Someone is coming… Someone will mal intent is coming towards us, Mera… I can feel it." She made her way over to her love's side and hugged him close.

"Do you think whoever it is, is connected to Kaldur and that the sphere is connected to the impending threat?" Mera murmured softly; his response was just as quiet, but it held a more deadly tone, "Yes…"

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Kaldur tripped over another stalagmite and whimpered as his chest hit the floor of the cave again. _"With these normal eyes, I cannot see in the dark anymore… there is no way I can navigate through here without a source of light."_ He rationalized in his mind as he held his hands out at arms length in order to have a slight heads up before bumping into another rock formation.

Whether it was his eyes tricking him or not, Kaldur froze as a dim light appeared from above him and he mentally cheered as he walked closer, the light grew brighter.

_"Poseidon, is this your help?"_ he asked mentally and once he reached a dead end on his path, he looked up and saw the twenty-foot climb that now stood in his way. Hesitantly, he placed his hands onto protruding rocks and felt for their stability. They were secured. Kaldur'ahm glance up once more and nodded to himself, _"Come on, Kaldur… You can do this… if you can find something in here that could help you, you can help those in Atlantis!"_

With his confidence slowly returning, the Atlantean youth began the climb that would lead him to a source of light.

The climb was easier that he assumed as he cautiously poked his head over the edge and scanned the area in front of him. Blue-green eyes widened in shock as he took in several large unknown objects; several vehicles like cars were parked under shimmering lights in one corner of this grotto. An ancient beast that his king said was a dinosaur was standing tall right next to a copper colored coin that was larger than expected. _"It looks like the human's currency that my King has told me about, but isn't it too big?"_ he mentally questioned.

Kaldur noticed a large human device that was called a computer… _"Or maybe computator…?"_ he shook his head and gasped loudly when his eyes fell onto a ring that looked just like the one that his King uses to go visit the Justice League.

"Great Poseidon… Am I in the Hall of the Justice League…?" he murmured unconsciously out loud.

A voice that held an accent replied calmly, "Unfortunately no, that is located in Washington D.C… This is somewhere else entirely, young man."

Kaldur moved his gaze higher to where a man garbed in a black suit with a white shirt and a tuxedo tie was standing right beside his hiding place.

An awkward moment passed before Kaldur replied, "Umm… I guess this is not Washington D.C…?" he chuckled nervously and inwardly cried.

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Batman was perched on a gargoyle that was imbedded into the building of Wayne Enterprises when he received a call on the private channel. Without pausing his scanning of the rooftops, he pressed one finger to the side of the cowl that lined up to his ear when he spoke, "Go ahead, Alfred." He said; his night vision goggles zoomed in on something moving on a rooftop across the street, but he relaxed when it turned out to be a cat.

"_Sir, there is a young man in the Batcave who seemed to know about… Your friends and their… device that allows for easier movement through the world."_ Stated his surrogate father. The Dark Knight froze in place before growling into the communicator of the cowl, "I'll be there soon!"

With that, the connection cut off and Kaldur, who was standing awkwardly behind the man who called himself Alfred Pennyworth, felt his heart rate increase.

Silence was better than the scream that threatened to rip out of his chest.

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As promised, Batman drove insanely fast as he zipped through the sharp turns in the Batcave as he screeched the Batmobile to a spot on the turnabout wheel where he always parked his favorite car.

Swiftly, he jumped out of the said vehicle and stalked over to where Alfred was standing with a scared looking boy behind him. "Who are you and how did you get in here?" he grounded out before either two could speak.

Kaldur felt eyes burning into his head from behind the cowl and he wanted to wince; _"Be strong, your King would want you to stand tall in front of anyone. Don't show your fear…"_ he encouraged in his mind before stated out loud in a more confident tone, "I-my name is Kaldur'ahm and I found my way in here via the water."

Silence before more another response came from the man dressed in shadow gray and pitch black. "Be more specific; where are you from and what are you doing in here?"

The Atlantean huffed and mentally wished that he was more confident in front of this man; _"It is not really fear I hold for him, but I feel like he should be respected more than feared…"_ the bizarre emotions made him elaborate his answers a little more. "I came from far away and I was seeking something to help me breathe underwater. I will not tell you more until you please answer one of my questions." Reasoned the Atlantean.

A delicate eyebrow rose on Alfred's face as he took in the teenager in front of him. _"A reasonable young man who is polite even when he is deliberately avoiding answering Master Bruce's questions."_ This made him want to compliment the youth, but his master replied first.

"That depends on what you ask." The Batman lost his angered tone and all that was left in his voice was a slight defensive pitch. Kaldur nodded quickly and he stated, "This machine is located in my home city," he motioned to the ring to his right and continued, "It is something our hero uses to teleport to help the Justice League… Are you part of the League?"

An expression resembling shock appeared on Alfred's face as he stared at the teenager in shock. _"He knows of the League, but not of Batman?"_ he shifted his gaze to his surrogate son and noticed that his posture lost its rigid outline.

The Dark Knight observed the youth in front of him more closely and soon he asked, "You know about the Justice League and the teleportation device, but you do not know who I am?"

Kaldur shook his head and reminded his conversing partner, "You have not answered my question. Please answer mine before I answer yours." Now the butler that served the Wayne family felt a laugh bubbling in his chest, but he professionally stifled it.

The Dark Knight felt the corner of his mouth turn up in a smile before he replied, "Yes, I am one of the founding members: Batman… and judging by your knowledge of our teleportation devices and not of what I look like…" his eyes finally landed on the golden "A" on Kaldur's belt and Batman concluded, "You must be Kaldur; the youth that Aquaman speaks of."

Kaldur'ahm nodded and replied, "Yes, my King is Aquaman and I… am an Atlantean." With his unconscious betrayal to his King and Queen, he could no longer call himself their son.

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King Orin and Queen Mera had not moved from their places for half an hour before reports from guards started flowing in.

"Annex Orin! There has been a report of an unidentified male swimming past a post and he… he destroyed the defense point!" reported a half man and half merman whose tail propelled him closer to his king.

Aquaman pulled away from his wife and demanded, "Did you get a look of who it was?" the said guard nodded and replied, "Y-Yes sir. He is garbed in a black suit and a flowing cloak. His face is obscured by a helmet!"

The King of the Seven Seas turned to his wife who paled at the news and his gaze quickly returned to the merman in front of him. "Was the enemy holding something like a glowing orb?"

This was a moment of true pain to Orin and Mera.

"Yes, my King! It transformed into a trident and with one blast from it… I-it decimated the guard post. He is on his way to Poseidonis as we speak!"

King Orin nodded and ordered to the guards in the vast room, "Go forth and evacuate the city. Have all our citizens moved into the palace!" he turned so his voice could echo more clearly to his people all throughout Atlantis, "You all must make your way to the palace where you all will be protected by our brave soldiers!"

He returned to staring at his wife and he pulled her close, "My love, I ask that you stay here with the citizens and defend them from the monster that tries to hurt our people and home." She nodded and Orin kissed Mera upon the forehead.

"You better be careful out their, my love." She warned him, Orin smiled in return and swam away with three mermen following closely.

Queen Mera turned to her handmaids and stated firmly, "Summon all our sorcerers! We shall put up a barrier around the palace!" the five mermaids nodded and fluttered off to carry out their Queen's wishes.

The Queen of the Seven Seas focused her gaze to the form of her love as he swam to intercept the madman who was threatening her home.

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Ocean Master cackled insanely as he shot another blast from his triton towards another tall building and it crumbled from the pure energy. He leisurely made his way into Atlantis and now took it upon himself to decimate every building that seemed worthy of his carnage.

Another blast from his weapon imploded another building and he grinned manically under his mask as a few Atlanteans swam out of the crumpling structure. "As I sweep this city clean, I will build a new utopia where I will reign as the new King of Atlantis!" he cried loudly so all could hear him.

From the corner of his eye, Ocean Master turned and saw Aquaman swimming towards him with a glint of pure hatred in his piercing blue eyes.

The King of Atlantis stopped a few feet from his enemy and spoke coldly, "This is your one chance remove yourself from my city and you will not be punished. There is just one thing you must do to ensure this opportunity."

Ocean Master laughed boisterously before replying, "And what is this one thing you ask of me?" King Orin hissed out, "Return my son's Atlantean life force back to him."

This made his enemy cackle even more as the form hidden by a suit, cloak, and helmet shook due to laughter rocking through him. Aquaman glared at Ocean Master as the man continued to laugh at his request.

Once the laughter died from the Atlantean's form, he replied on a haunting voice, "There is no living body to return the orb to; I'm not sure if he survived the journey to the surface, but the odds are slim of Kaldur'ahm, the foolish naïve adoptive child of King Orin and Queen Mera, to have survived! There may not be a body to return this power to!" he chuckled darkly and he offered the triton to Aquaman.

"Are you sure you still want it?" this was meant to mock and hurt the King and Orin roared angrily as he charged towards the Atlantean in front of him.

"_You shall pay for hurting my family! MY VUERD'AH!" _cried Aquaman as he pushed himself to fight the monster that took his son from him.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Tula and Garth both quickly made their way back into the Aphotic layer where their home was in and the female Atlantean cried out in shock as her eyes saw the horrid nightmare in front of them.

Several places in Atlantis were puffing up black smoke as they smoldered from the attacks made by Ocean Master. Garth stared in shock as he looked upon the carnage that was threatening their Atlantis. "This is what people call a nightmare… huh?" he asked numbly.

Tula was still frozen in horror as she saw her home broken by the mad man who also hurt her friend. Garth gently nudged her in the shoulder and he stated, "Come, we need to find either King Orin or Queen Mera to tell them of Kaldur'ahm's plight!" he stated and they forced their bodies out of the frozen states and pushed onward.

They could be heartbroken and angry later; right now Kaldur needed help.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Kaldur sighed heavily in his mind as he concluded his story of how he got into the Batcave, where he came from, and what happened. His eyes were in downward gaze since he felt all his courage flowing from his body. _"I betrayed my King and all of Atlantis with my selfish ways… I must look like such trash in another hero's eyes…"_ he thought numbly as he glance back up to Batman to see that the man's expression had not changed from the indifferent mask.

"_I am so dead… Now he will never help me."_ Cried Kaldur in his mind; Alfred made his way over to the teenager and placed a hand on the youth's shoulder. "Thank you telling us your story, Master Kaldur… It must have been hard for you." Offered the older man.

The Atlantean nodded and forced himself to make eye contact with the Dark Knight. He licked his partially chapped lips and made his voice box work. "I was wondering if you could help me… I-I know that it is very rude of me to ask this of you, but… Y-You are the only human I can turn to…"

His tone took on a more emotional tone as he continued, "I-I heard of a swimming device used by humans that allow them to swim underwater without coming up for air. I-If you have this device, I ask-no, I beg of you to please let me borrow it and go back down to Atlantis to retrieve my stolen power. If I can get that orb back from Ocean Master, I can take back my Atlantean powers and get him out of my home." His tone softened to almost a whispering wind as he added, "I owe my people that much…"

Batman remained seated in his chair that was in front of the supercomputer and he continued to stare at the young man's face. After a few more minutes of silence, the Dark Knight stated, "I can let you borrow the scuba tanks and mask, but it will not hold out under the aphotic layer's pressure. You would only have a few minutes to find this Ocean Master and get back your power. How can you assure me that you can do this? I may be condemning you to death." He stated coldly.

Kaldur blinked then replied more passionately, "I brought this upon my people! My naivety brought this horrid enemy to my home and I will do all in my powers to right my wrong! I cannot assure you in the matter that you speak of, but I know from the bottom of my heart, that I can save Atlantis from Ocean Master's evil!"

The determination set in Kaldur's eyes did not show overconfidence or cockiness. It just displayed the thirteen-year-olds desire to do the right thing; _"This is what makes heroes,"_ mused Batman as he stood from his seat.

"Alfred, go retrieve the scuba tanks from storage," the Dark Knight turned to the smiling Atlantean, "I need to set the teleportation course for Atlantis."

The said butler bowed once and left the area to retrieve the said items that the Batman had asked for.

Kaldur took a step closer and stated, "In my language, there is a way to deeply thank someone… It is the term 'thank you', but it is reserved for the Gods…"

Kaldur kneeled to one knee and bowed his head, "Adomin efcares til iiae." He said in a tone that offered the Dark Knight the respect that the teenager felt when they first met. Batman took the three steps to reach out to Kaldur and placed a gloved hand upon the youth's shoulder. "Stand up." He ordered.

The said youth did as he was told and the Dark Knight said, "You do not need to thank me for this. I have heard a lot about you from Aquaman… He truly cares for you. Orin wishes for your safety and at the same time to please you. The story you told me just now reminded me of a selfish mermaid from a Danish story…" he stared down to Kaldur's brilliant eyes.

"She discarded everything for her one wish to be a human, but you and her share one very good redeeming trait," he said softly, Kaldur tilted his head to the side slightly and waited for the superhero to state the quality.

"You both loved the people you care about so much, that you are willing to right the mistakes you made in order to protect those you love." Kaldur smiled at the compliment and was about the thank Batman again, when Alfred returned with the scuba diving equipment.

"Sir, the tanks are filled and ready to go. Shall I help out our guest into the gear?" Batman nodded and turned to his computer to type in the Atlantean coordinates.

Kaldur felt the weight of the gear as the elder man helped him into it and nodded subtly to himself, _"This can also represent the weight of which I carry my peoples future upon my shoulders."_ He thought and the said teenager began praying to Poseidon for more strength.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Queen Mera and her gifted students all stood in a line around the palace as they all began softly chanting a spell that brought forth a large glowing blue shield that would guard all the citizens of Atlantis.

Her eyes gently slid shut as her voice continued wording the spell, but her mind was distracted by another painful realization, _"Where are Garth and Tula? They did not arrive when I called for them!"_ her thoughts reflected in her incantation since she was not able to bring forth her true power.

She pulled away from the sorcerers and sighed heavily. "Where are you?" she murmured.

"QUEEN MERA!" called out a young man's voice; she whipped around to see Garth and Tula swimming towards her with urgency in their eyes. When they reached her side, they ignored formalities and the male Atlantean quickly stated, "My-My Queen, Kaldur has been turned into a human; h-he doesn't have his Atlantean powers anymore and now he is waiting for us in a cave in the human world!

"He needs that glowing orb that Ocean Master has! That is HIS power!" Garth reported this while Tula caught her breath. Mera allowed herself to put two and two together and it all came together in her mind,

"_The man who gave Kaldur the orb is the same man who is attacking us… This Ocean Master took advantage of my son and now he is trying to overthrow my husband… My son is now in the human world by himself and he needs that orb which stole his powers from him…"_ she turned to face her most valued students.

"Tula, go into the armory and retrieve the new weapon that Vulko gave to Orin a few days ago!" the said Atlantean nodded and fluttered off with a guard following her.

Queen Mera turned to face Garth and continued her orders, "You shall help me make a potion that will temporarily give Kaldur the breathing abilities of an Atlantean. When we finish that incantation, we will ready him with the new weapon and he shall fight along side his family."

Garth nodded and quickly swam off to get his Queen's cauldron and potions.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Kaldur pulled at the tubes that connected to his oxygen tanks; their positions made his body feel confined and awkward. He tried to move around his form, but they made his movements awkward thanks to the heavy equipment. Alfred gently swatted his hands away and stated, "I understand that this may be a different way for you to swim about and it may seem uncomfortable, but this is the only way, Master Kaldur."

The said youth blushed at the honorific and murmured, "Please do not call me that, Mister Pennyworth… I do not deserve such a title…" He stared down to the floor and continued miserably, "I want to do what is right and I want to save my people, but if it weren't for me… They would not be in this trouble…"

The watcher over the Wayne Family gently placed an index finger to hook under Kaldur's chin and he raised the teenager's gaze to meet his. "Master Kaldur, you and me are very similar in the sense that we are individuals who make mistakes. What makes us different from others is that we will do all in our powers to right our wrongs. Remember that and become the great youth I know you can be." A smile appeared on Alfred's lips.

"Become the young man that Master Aquaman and I know you can be." Kaldur remained frozen in place for a moment before he pulled the elder man into an awkward hug. "Efcarestousei, Mr. Pennyworth…" the repeated his words and thanked Alfred for his encouraging words.

Batman broke the silence and turned on the teleportation device. It hummed quietly and he called out in a nicer tone than his initial meeting, "The device is ready, do you remember all the instructions on how to use the tanks and equipment?"

He received a nod in return that meant, "yes". Gloved fingers danced over the keyboard and he motioned for Kaldur to step closer to the device. The youth paused and turned to face Batman and Alfred once more, "Thank you very much for helping me when I thought no one could. You gave me answers that were in front of me before, but I did not see them then. Now I can go back with those answers leading me to the Atlantean I really am."

Both men nodded in an understanding manner and Kaldur'ahm stepped through the teleportation ring and vanished in that same blinding light that swallowed him whole when he disappeared to Santa Cruz.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

When he reappeared in the teleportation hall of Poseidonis, Kaldur felt the painful difference of being a human in the dark depths of the ocean. He forced himself to concentrate and he pulled out the green vile of magic that Tula gave him in the cave. Cracking it open, the green cloud whisked around him and illuminated his form.

"_This will keep me safe until I reclaim my powers…"_ he thought and with the scuba gear weighing him down, Kaldur swam out of the long hallway and towards the palace where he knew his Queen would be able to tell him where King Orin was.

His form continued swimming through the cold water as it stabbed thousands of knives into his skin. _"I always took the smallest things for granted… my Atlantean powers kept me breathing at these depths and the cold never hurt me like this; my gills allowed me to swim more freely; and it made me proud to be an Atlantean…"_ his form was more sluggish with the human gear on, but soon he made it to the main hall where Tula, Garth, and Queen Mera were making a potion.

He unconsciously tried to call out to them, but then was reminded of his mask and breathing tube. Tula caught sight of him first and gasped. "KALDUR!" she cried.

Everyone turned to see him swimming towards him or her and Queen Mera regained her senses first, she raced to meet him half way and pulled into an embrace. "Vuerd'ah! Kaldur'ahm, you are safe! Thank Poseidon! How did you get here?"

He pointed down the hallway he came from and nodded; she nodded in return, "I see, the teleportation pad. Come, you must hurry!"

Mera pulled him along and brought him to float near the cauldron in front of her. "We have only begun to steep the potion… It will only grant you a few minutes of breathing like an Atlantean again, but it may give you enough time to reach Orin and take back your powers."

Kaldur nodded, _"A short window is better than no window of opportunity at all."_ Queen Mera swept her arms upwards and the cloudy potion floated out of the pot and towards Kaldur's body.

"Avron tul diep ipmoneu a'lhurean aero!" she beckoned and the spell enveloped Kaldur's form. The light purple cloud slipped past his mask and into his nose and mouth; his form convulsed in response to the drastic change, but soon Kaldur removed the awkward scuba gear from his body and nodded; his voice box was still not working under water, but he could still inform his Queen of his thanks.

Tula appeared by his side and gave him the object she raced down to the armory to retrieve for him. It was a metal pack that had two handles pointing from the tops of the mysterious box; one on the left and one on the right sides of the new device.

Mera quickly stated, "You need to hurry and find Orin and Ocean Master; they were last seen near the Science Center!" Kaldur nodded again and his mother cupped his cheek momentarily, "I knew you would come back… I am glad that you came back to me, vuerd'ah…" he smiled sadly to her and swam off with more speed than he had before.

He glanced behind himself in time to see that Garth was following him with a grin. "I'm not letting you put yourself in danger again. I'm going with you!" Kaldur nodded at his brother's support and they zoomed off to where their king was.

_"Great Poseidon…I know that I have shamed you enough today, but if you could grant me one wish… Please let me be in time to help my King."_

Their forms cut through the cold water as Kaldur urged his body to more faster. The Atlantis Science Center was getting closer.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Aquaman grunted in pain as his back was rammed into another pillar thanks to Ocean Master's evil magic. He felt his strength wane from his body, but he still tried to push his form to stand upright and tall. He would not show his enemy weakness.

Ocean Master laughed at his attempt to stand without showing his injuries and mocked, "I know that I am winning, _King_ Orin… I know that in a few moments you will die by my power and the underwater world will forget your pathetic existence!" he laughed another insane cackle and pointed the triton towards the Ruler of the Seas.

Orin wiped away the small prickling sensation of blood at the corner of his mouth and winced at his injured ribs. _"I am sorry that I failed to get your powers back Kaldur… I am sorry that I failed you as your King and Father."_ He gently shut his eyes shut before opening them again with mal contempt for his enemy shimmering in his orbs.

"That will never happen, you can never erase me from my peoples minds." He retorted back; this made Ocean Master angry since Aquaman was still defying him even in his moment before death. He raised the triton over his head with one hand in order to stab King Orin.

This was the end.

Kaldur'ahm collided into Ocean Master's body and he grabbed the madman's wrist in an attempt to disarm the crazed Atlantean. Garth swam to his King's frozen form and he quickly stated, "My King! You must move away from here, it is dangerous and you are inured!"

Orin was in shock; his son, who he thought was stolen from him, was here… Kaldur was not dead, but alive and well in front of him. Kaldur was struggling against Ocean Master and he endangered himself once again to protect him… _"He protected me…"_ Orin smiled at Kaldur and turned to face Garth, "No, I will not leave my son here to fight our fights alone."

Ocean Master roared; he was now enraged. First Orin defied him, now this pathetic child was meddling in his victory.

"YOUR POWERS ARE NOW MIND, BOY!" he yelled and pushed Kaldur off his form. The said Atlantean flipped a few times in the water, but he immediately righted his form and turned to face his enemy. The sorcerer raised the triton again, but Garth summoned two tentacles from nowhere and they stopped Ocean Master from moving.

"I WILL NOT GIVE UP MY POWERS!" he screamed and he shot one more blast towards Kaldur. It hit him dead on and the youth convulsed violently against the pure energy and his body went limp.

Orin felt his blood freeze as he yelled out, "KALDUR'AHM!"

Ocean Master was about to start laughing at another triumph, but Kaldur's form shook once before he raised his limp head to stare intently at his enemy. "How…?" whispered the crazed sorcerer.

The said Atlantean used what little strength he had left and grasped a hold of the triton. "Give… me back _my_ power…" Kaldur managed to gasp out through the spell that granted him the ability to breathe underwater and he crushed the pole of the triton in his hands like it was frail glass.

A burst of energy exploded from the weapon and it engulfed both Kaldur and Ocean Master.

Garth and Orin frantically glanced all around the plume of energy looking for any sign of Kaldur'ahm, but they could not see anything. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the smoke cleared away and Ocean Master was spotted first. His form was leaning against a pillar near him and he was panting.

As he tried to catch his breath, his expression hidden by the helmet changed into disbelief as he saw a form standing where Kaldur was previously floating.

The thirteen-year-old youth who lost his path was now standing tall and strong. His Atlantean powers pulsed once again through his body and Kaldur'ahm turned to face Ocean Master with more determination shimmering in his sharp blue-green eyes.

His hands grasped onto the two handles protruding from the weapon upon his back and he pulled them from their hilts. The handles pulsed in rhythm to his heartbeat as his energy moved through it. Now lightning blue whips flicked out of the channeling device that Vulko of the Science Division made for him.

"You will now pay for your crimes against Atlantis and my King." Promised Kaldur as he faced his enemy.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**Chinese Fairy: **Yay! Kaldur'ahm is back and I know I lied about this being a three-shot! I know; I suck! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please excuse any mistakes. If you see any please tell me; I won't take offense!

Thank you and remember to review! See you all in the next chapter.

Take care~


	4. Chapter 4

**The Choice in His Hands**

**Chapter 4: The Birth of Aqualad**

**Chinese Fairy:** This is the end of "The Choice in His Hands"! I hope everyone enjoyed this story~ Woot! Banzai!

**Disclaimer:** Seriously, I only put this up because I don't want some O.C.D crazy person to come and whine about the missing disclaimer. All the rights belong to Warner Bros., D.C Comics, and Cartoon Network… if you are still reading this I think you need your head checked out. **NOTE: **NOW is the end of the Little Mermaid warning! I don't own Disney's version of "The Little Mermaid".

Thanks for that!

**Warnings: **Nothing much in the entire story, a few fight scenes, a tiny blood, and nothing else… If something pops out, then I'll let you know!

**Chinese Fairy: **GO ON ENJOY THE STORY!

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**The Choice in His Hands **

**Chapter 4: The Birth of Aqualad**

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

With his rightful powers returned to him, Kaldur'ahm took in a deep gulp of water through his gills and felt _life_ flow into his body. The tattoos on his arms and legs are bright blue thanks to the weapon in his hands; it pulsated in time with his heartbeat and that gave him more strength.

His blue-green eyes were trained on Ocean Master with determination pumping in time with his blood.

"You will pay for your crimes against Atlantis and my King." He promised before lunging for his enemy. Ocean Master was ready for this attack as he grabbed a hold of Kaldur's forearms that rose to strike and threw the younger Atlantean away from him.

"You damn brat!" he snarled; taking a moment to himself, the sorcerer swept his arms towards a decimated building and a few broke boulders floated away from their places and moved towards his hand. With a murmured spell, the stone glowed a silver-white and crumbled to the seabed in a pattern.

When Kaldur righted his form, he turned and saw a black triton in Ocean Master's hand. Gritting his teeth in anger, he pushed the balls of his feet into the coral stone beneath his feet and charged towards the sorcerer. He was closing the distance when a large hand on his shoulder stopped his assault and pulled him into the protection of his King.

Aquaman pulled him out of the danger zone while Garth summoned another ancient creature that resembled a shark and it distracted Ocean Master from Orin's retreat. The sorcerer tried to combat the striking orange predator as it bit into his cape, but Garth kept his enemy too preoccupied with another summoning that resembled an anglerfish.

While Queen Mera's pupil continued taunting the enemy, Aquaman pulled Kaldur behind another destroyed building and began speaking quickly, "Vuerd'ah, I am glad you are alive and safe, but you and Garth should not join in this fight. It is too dangerous!" his voice held a tone that signal that his composure was waning quickly; this went unnoticed by his son.

Kaldur was only partially paying attention to his King's words as he glanced from around a broken wall and saw that Garth was slowing losing his footing in the battle. He turned to face his father figure with an attempt at an encouraging smile and said, "It is never too dangerous to do what is right, Annex."

Without allowing himself to see his king's reaction, he cut through the water and joined his brother to fight off the infuriated Ocean Master. While Garth continued urging his summoned sea creatures to fight on, Kaldur poised his maces for a downward swing and managed to nick the Dark Arts user in the shoulder.

Grunting in pain, Ocean Master swiveled his body around the growled at the younger Atlantean. "I should have killed you in that cave when I had the chance!" he pulled back the triton to stab at Kaldur, but the light purple anglerfish took the attack and dispersed into the water with an ear piercing shriek.

Garth, who is spiritually connected all the creatures he summons, slumped to his knees in shock and pain at the attack he took as well as his fish. Kaldur saw this and moved to place himself in between his brother and Ocean Master in case the madman thought lashing out at them.

"How bad?" he asked over his shoulder while he assessed the enemy's posture turning to face them. Garth's hands were clutching onto his chest as if he'd been punched right above the heart and gasped out, "B-Bad…" his tone echoed his pain, as breathing was becoming an arduous task. The younger of the two pulled his maces in front of his form as a defense and shouted to Ocean Master, "You will pay for your atrocities!"

Ocean Master laughed at Kaldur's words and mocked him, "How will that happen, boy? You have no chance of beating me!"

The thirteen-year-old nodded almost thoughtfully, before he replied calmly, "You're right, I don't, but I bet he does," he cocked his head to something behind the sorcerer and the helmet turned to face the space behind him and for a split second, Ocean Master caught sight of Aquaman's fist as it made contact with his face. His body completed five flips before he stopped spinning and saw that King Orin has rejoined the fight.

"You… You all MOCK ME!" yelled Ocean Master as he pointed his triton to Orin's chest and something resembling a lightning bolt shot out of the three pronged weapon. The attack had hit its target.

Aquaman flew backwards and he groaned in protest as his back collided with a somewhat collapsed home. Kaldur and Garth swam to their king's side and simultaneously cried out Orin's name.

No response.

Garth swept Aquaman's wrist into his hands while his fingertips frantically searched for a pulse. A moment later a smile threatened to ripe his face in half when he found one. "He's alright, Kaldur; the blast just stunned him momentarily." A sigh of relief passed the younger teen's lips and he thanked Poseidon.

Glancing back to the wide area known as one of the city's squares, he saw that Ocean Master was taking their moment of panic for their king's well being, to straighten his cape and helmet from their tilting positions. When he was done with that, he began assessing his injured shoulder. Kaldur's eyes met the raven-haired teen's gaze and he said in a firm tone, "We need a plan."

In a moment of borderline hysteria, Garth laughed a choked noise and responded with a discarding shrug, "I know we need one, but there is nothing we can do! That freak out there just took out our king! We are not going to pose any real challenge to him…"

Garth stared at the palace in the distance and said under his breath, "How are we going to tell Quivem Mera about failing to protect Annex Orin?" while his friend panicked about their queen, Kaldur stared at the merman who made him look utterly foolish in the eyes of his king, _"My King is injured and nothing looks hopeful… All this is my responsibility to repair."_ Similar thoughts streamed constantly through his mind and only paused when he noticed something about Ocean Master's triton.

"That weapon… He composed it from the collected rubble of a building, right?"

His question forced the training sorcerer to stop mid-freak out and he nodded slowly in response, "Yeah, he made it out of that building there." A pale digit pointed to a damaged structure across from their place and Kaldur felt a smile tugging at his lips. "Tul omnom ii lei tyrodan avenmiisar immen diemp potrul?" his question startled his friend.

Garth did a double take and repeated the question, "How strong of a whirlwind can I make right now?" he thought about the query for a moment and then grinned, "Depends on how much energy you can pull out of Vulko's gift to the king…" they both are now smiling and Kaldur moves closer to the corner where he sees that Ocean Master is now readying his weapon for another assault on Poseidonis.

"You have thirty seconds to gather all your strength Garth," he turned to face his brother and added with a smirk, "please don't miss."

Zipping out of their resting place, Kaldur urged the maces to turn into something like tentacles and their structure morphed into whips that crackled slightly from the electrical current running through them.

"_I owe this much to my home… to the people I've put in danger thanks to my selfish actions… This is something I am willing to do for all of them."_ Flashes of images flickered through his consciousness; pictures of Queen Mera, Garth, Tula, Vulko, Prince Orm, Topo, Lori, and… _"Annex Orin…"_ a serene smile graced his lips.

Ocean Master saw from the corner of his eye Kaldur charging towards him with the whips and smirked from behind his helmet. "This again? Another blindingly obvious attack, I thought you were a more capable fighter, Kaldur'ahm… I guess you're just a foolish in battle as you are in trusting strangers."

His insult hit the young Atlantean hard, but Kaldur with his firm conviction still cut through the water and he swung the whips over his head. It was a painstakingly obvious move. He was going to use another downward swing. Ocean Master was charging his weapon for another shot of lightning and Kaldur would soon close the distance between them for his attack.

The next second seemed to elongate into a minute as everything that happened slowed down.

The thirteen-year-old dropped his channeling handles from his grasp behind his head and the brilliant blue of the armaments dispersed into nothingness. Garth cried out his brother's name in pure hysteria as Kaldur speared his own torso on the triton to stop another blast from erupting from its prongs.

With all his might, he gripped onto Ocean Master's arms and something that never happened before, occurred. Without the channeling weapons in hand, Kaldur willed electricity to flow through his tattoos and the weapon constructed from magic and science on his back released a raging power with his body as a conductor.

The electricity used his tattoos as a pathway into Ocean Master's form.

"Garth NOW!" he shouted over the crackling voltage. The said Atlantean was blindsided by his brother's sacrifice that for a moment, he did not move, but after realizing this was their chance, he lifted his hands above his head. As if answering a silent order, the aphotic water surrounding Garth slowly started moving around him in an endless circle. It swirled round and around him until its speed picked up.

"Here it comes, Kaldur!" he warned and his whirlwind fired with Ocean Master as its target. His warning was for Kaldur to move out of the danger zone, but his brother remained firmly planted between Ocean Master and the onslaught.

"Do you want to know what is so satisfying about this…?" asked the younger of the two; his eyes were softened with relief and his smile was still serene. The sorcerer struggled and convulsed from the electrical current that kept him in place and ignored Kaldur's words.

Kaldur'ahm continued speaking as if there was no impending death dancing towards his back. "I think that this is the best way to die. Saving Atlantis from you and your evil… defending them from you." His last words were deafened by the attack striking them.

"Thank you for everything, Annex Orin…"

The whirlwind enclosed both Atlanteans in a barrier of violent gale and the lightning coming from the backpack acted as a spark to detonating a large explosion around Ocean Master and Kaldur.

Aquaman sat up in time to see his son being enveloped in the blast and all life flooded out his form. "KALDUR'AHM!" he roared, but it was integrated into the explosion and was lost from anyone hearing it. It took several moments for the rubble of surrounding buildings to resettle on the seabed and for the lifted smoke to disperse.

Garth coughed and hacked while his gills tried to cleanse his body from the blasts aftereffect. Orin moved closer to the young sorcerer, still numb from the scene before him. "Kaldur…" he whispered.

The pupil of Queen Mera felt tears beginning to form at the corner of his eyes as the fear of losing his brother was slowly becoming true in his mind. "Munweii tom…" he breathed softly, the nickname meant "curious one" and it now seemed foreign to his tongue. Another explosion had swallowed their Kaldur'ahm and he has not come out of the smolder. Something in the plume was now moving-no, it was someone; a person was sluggishly moving out of the epicenter of the blast. From the faint outline of the smoke, they were unidentifiable, but a second later Garth and Orin cried out simultaneously,

"Kaldur!"

The thirteen-year-old Atlantean's form was slouched and his hands were pressed to his lower torso where three stab wounds were still bleeding. His unfocused eyes took a moment to zero in on Aquaman, but when they did, a smile appeared on his lips. "Annex," he whispered before slumping to the ground.

Before his body could settle onto the seafloor, strong arms encased him in protection once again. King Orin held his son close while Garth frantically used what little healing knowledge he had to help his brother.

"A-Annex Orin," gasped out a tired Kaldur, "D-Did I defeat him…? Did G-Garth and I defeat him…?" he asked as he fought unconsciousness. Smiling at his son's determination even through fatigue, Aquaman replied softly, "Yes. Yes you did, Vuerd'ah." His response was soft, almost inaudible. Returning the smile, the teenager in his arms fell into slumber.

Garth sighed as he placed tourniquet spells in place over the three wounds and turned to his king. "Annex, he is stable, but it would be better if we could get him to the healing wing." He reported urgently; King Orin nodded and turned to face another part of Poseidonis. His eyes hardened for a second and the sorcerer by his side was about to speak up in concern when a large seahorse was riding the currents towards them. It was a faded purple in the dim lights surrounding them and its body was larger that Orin.

It stopped in front of Aquaman and butted its muzzle against his shoulder as if saying it was ready for anything he asked of. Turning to Garth he said, "This is my loyal friend, Charitobrytos… He will take you and Kaldur to Mera. Go now." He commanded; without questioning his king, Garth immediately settled himself on the saddle already positioned upon the seahorse's back and Orin rested his son's relaxed body in front of Garth.

"Bring him to safety…" the King of Atlantis ordered and once more, with his telepathic powers, he sent his dear ones away from the carnage left by Ocean Master.

With steel blue eyes, Ruler of the Seven Seas turned to stare down the hobbling Ocean Master that was in the process of crawling out of the crater that Garth and Kaldur had made. Ocean Master clung to the seafloor as he inched his body away from the battle; he was about to pull himself along another arm length, but a foot stepping on his ripped cape stopped him.

Glancing back, the helmet's gaze met with King Orin's glare. "Where do you think you are going?" seethed the King as he pulled the sorcerer to his feet with a violent yank. Like a rag doll, Ocean Master was lifted off the cracked flooring and his face was now inches away from the angered face of his ruler.

"Wh… What do you p-plan to do to… me?" gasped out the injured Atlantean; Aquaman observed him and replied icily, "I shall take you to the high council and you shall be tried for your crimes against Atlantis." A weak chuckled escaped passed Ocean Master's lips. "Does that mean Kaldur… w-will also be tried for his… crime?" this causes what little air in Orin's body to flee.

Lolling his head to one side the sorcerer continues, "B-Because, if I go… on trial so does y-your son… He knows that what he did w-was wrong in accepting that… jar. If I go in front… of the council, I-I'll tell them about h-his crime…" Ocean Master repeated this threat a few times under his breath in murmurs and mumbling, but Orin was still in shock by the valid threat against his son, against Kaldur.

Aquaman's glare intensified as he snarled, "They would never believe you!" shrugging his shoulders, the injured Atlantean replied hoarsely, "L-Let's see if they won't…"

King Orin's glower fell to the floor in pain as he imagined a future where his son, his _vuerd'ah_ would be convicted and sentenced to death. As his eyes glazed over, Ocean Master took this one golden chance to flee. He pulled a small vile out from his cloak and crushed it in his right hand, causing a plume of ink black smoke to make his entire form disappear out of Aquaman's grasp.

Sharp blue eyes darted around the area looking for his enemy, but found that Ocean Master had fled. No one knew what went through King Orin's mind during this time, as he stood glued to the smooth coral reef flooring, but he was glad that the truth vanished with the evil sorcerer.

The Ruler of the Seas swam off to follow Garth towards the palace and hoped with all his might that Kaldur'ahm would make it through this ordeal.

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Blue-green eyes leisurely fluttered open as Kaldur'ahm returned to the world of the living. His blurred gaze fluttered from side to side as the realization hit him just like five years ago. _"I'm in Annex Orin and Quivem Mera's room… again."_ He sat up and winced as bandages did not allow him to prop himself up entirely.

"I… I am alive." He commented idly to no one in particular as he assessed his injures. Other than his bandages on his lower torso, no other part of his body seemed to be hurt from the battle. Lifting his webbed hands to his face, Kaldur saw that he in fact did reclaim his powers. _"As long as I am alive, I will never again take my powers for granted."_ He silently promised.

"Of course you are alive, Vuerd'ah. Why would you think otherwise?" his king's voice startled Kaldur out of his daze and the youth whipped his head to the left in time to see King Orin dissolve from the shadows. Automatically, the youth tried the scramble out of bed in order to bow on the floor, but his limbs did not obey and he floundered. "Oww…" he groaned as a dizzy spell swallowed his mind.

Orin's hands guided Kaldur to lie back down on the bed and there was no fight or protest in response. His king watched as his son did not make eye contact with him whatsoever. Pulling back his hands, Aquaman settled himself on the edge of the bed.

Silence joined their awkward meeting with no end in sight. Orin's gaze flickered to Kaldur's face and then back down to his hands cradled in his lap.

Kaldur opened and closed his mouth a few times in attempts to speak, but no matter how much he mentally urged himself to begin, nothing came out.

Finally, the youth had enough and blurted out words like a running faucet. "Annex Orin, before I am cast out of Atlantis, I want you to know that I am sorry for all the trouble that I have brought upon our home! With my selfishness, I allowed an evil man to use me in his mission of destroying our home. I never wanted that, but it still happened. All I wanted was to return to the surface world, but that was my downfall. Only thinking of myself hurt so many… I-I am sorry." Those blue and green eyes met his king's blue orbs and he added in a whisper, "I am ready to accept any punishment you deem necessary."

Orin gazed down at his son with unreadable eyes for a handful of seconds before gently pulling him into a hug. Kaldur gasped and felt his traitorous arms return the hug. "Kaldur," breathed Aquaman, "Kaldur, I do not blame you for your actions; no one does… Mera and I have talked about this and there is no crime against you. Ocean Master used you and twisted everything we taught you.

"There is nothing to forgive, but much for me to ask of you." He pulled back enough to see his son's face, "Would you please forgive me for being so quick to condemn your dreams of the surface world?" Kaldur shook hid head violently and replied, "M-My King! You should not ask this of me, but order!"

King Orin chuckled as the conversation of five years ago came to his mind and he answered his son's statement, "Because Vuerd'ah, a friend of mine's once told me that you could catch more flies with honey than with vinegar so maybe asking for your forgiveness would be better than demanding it of you."

Tears were forming in his eyes as Kaldur also remembered this same line of conversation from when he was an eight-year-old long ago. "Annex Orin…!" he gasped and hugged his father close.

From the doorway, Queen Mera saw that both her husband and son had reconciled. She turned and swam away, _"I can check vuerd'ah's wounds later…"_

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

Two weeks later, Kaldur found himself training with Garth on the roof of the conservatory with the new weapon that Orin and Vulko gave to him. The channeling weapons felt _perfect_ in his grasp as he combated his magical friend with science _and_ magic.

"Enough," called Queen Mera who realized the fight was going to end in a draw. Both boy swam closer to one another and bowed respectively to each other and then their Queen. Tula kicked off from her place beside Mera and offered both boys bubbles filled with fresh water for them to drink. "Good job, guys." She said with a warm smile.

Kaldur thanked her and his gaze trailed off to stare at the construction still repairing the west portion of Poseidonis. Mera must have noticed this since she said, "You are quickly learning how to use the Waterpack and Water Bearers, almost as fast as you learning English." Tula and Garth chuckled at their friend's blush and the image of a destroyed city block eased out from his mind.

Training continued for another hour when a handmaiden of Queen Mera's appeared from the entranceway of the building and murmured something into her Queen's ear. Smiling, she turned to her students and proclaimed, "Our King Orin has returned from meeting his allies in the surface world!" this meant that their lesson was over and the four Atlanteans made their way into the throne room where Aquaman was just swimming in from the teleportation hall.

"Kaiirei, Orin!" said Mera with a dazzling smile as she enveloped her husband into a hug. He kissed her softly and pulled back after a moment, "I am glad to be back, my love." She smiled at him and pulled away to allow Kaldur to hug his father. "Welcome back, Petarr." He whispered; Orin chuckled and replied, "Thank you, vuerd'ah." Their welcome backs and idle chatter cycled a few times before King Orin swam over to his throne and his voice took on his leader's tone.

"Garth, Kaldur'ahm… Please kneel in front of me." Both teens glanced at one another and did as was ordered of them. Queen Mera and Tula sidestepped to one side to allow this to be a private meeting.

Aquaman gave each teen an even look before he spoke, "During the Ocean Master incident, you both showed great attributes when you came to help me defeat our enemy. Garth, you with your spells and incantations proved you to be an irreplaceable ally in the battlefield. Kaldur," he turned to his son, "Your courage and determination gave you boundless strength the and power to help deliver the final blow upon Ocean Master… this is why I asked both of you here."

He offered both boys each one of his hands and said, "I offer this opportunity for both of you to become my protégés and to join me in fighting the worlds, both on land and sea, evils. Do you accept?"

Garth and Kaldur had the mirroring expressions of shock on their faces as the great and honorable offer of their king settled into their minds. The sorcerer in training was the first to recover, "Annex Orin, while I am truly honored by your offer, but I wish to stay here and learn more from my studies." He bowed his head lower in thanks.

Aquaman nodded and smiled as he saw the shock fade from his son's face and it was replaced by barely contained excitement. "M-My king," Kaldur said with all his might trying to control his happiness. "I would be grateful and blessed if you allowed me to join you in saving the world alongside you." He bowed his head just like Garth, and his father's smile grew.

"Very well," his voice now boomed into the round room and high ceiling, "Rise, Kaldur'ahm!" Garth swam back to float beside Tula as his brother accepted his long awaited gift of freedom.

"You shall now become my protégé and in this action you will be given a new title while you join me in the surface world," Kaldur was beaming with happiness, excitement, and pride as he tilted his head enough to see Orin's face, "Today is the birth of Aqualad! My son Kaldur'ahm will now join me, Aquaman, as Aqualad in our struggle against all those who oppose us! All rejoice!" as his voice echoed out from the room, all of Atlantis heard the good news and cheered in congratulations as the new hero was born.

"Rise, my vuerd'ah," Orin said in a softer tone and Kaldur rose from his place. "Efcarestousei, Annex Orin." He whispered and Aquaman nodded. "Thank you for joining me in an effort to save our world."

Their eyes trained upward to where the layers of the ocean hid the sun, moon, and the stars from them. "This is the day where we shall now work together in forming a brighter future, vuerd'ah." Said Orin; Kaldur nodded in agreement and answered back,

"Today is the day…" repeated Aqualad and it would be three years before he would join Robin, Boy Wonder and Kid Flash, the Fastest Boy Alive, in storming into Cadmus Lab where they met Superboy, The Boy of Steel. Three years until he met Miss. Martian and Artemis…

"_Today is the day…"_

_**YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ**_

**Chinese Fairy:** … I'm not sure how much you all would like this chapter, but I tried my best!

**NOTE:** If you all remember the intro to "Super Friends" on Cartoon Network, there was a giant seahorse that Aquaman rode! I thought it would be pretty cool if it made an appearance. The name I gave it was Greek, "Charitobrytos" for graceful. I thought it would be pretty nice.

Anywho, I'm sorry if you are someone who was waiting for "In the Place of Mortals", but I am studying for finals. This was something to close before committing everything else for the other story! I hope you enjoyed this and take care. Please excuse any grammar errors and mistakes.

THANK YOU AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!


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